He was born in
Hamelin. His father was a
military doctor. In 1866, as a result of the annexation of the
Kingdom of Hanover by the
Kingdom of Prussia, his father was transferred to
Altona (now part of Hamburg), where he grew up. He attended the
realschule there, and received his first art lessons from the marine painter, . In 1887, he enrolled at the
Kunstakademie Düsseldorf. Until 1893, he was a student of the landscape painter,
Eugen Dücker, He also studied engraving and etching with
Carl Ernst Forberg. He was awarded gold medals at the International Art Exhibition of 1894, in Vienna, and the
Große Berliner Kunstausstellung of 1896. Three years later, he was one of the co-founders of the (artists' association). After the turn of the century, marine painting was heavily promoted by Kaiser
Wilhelm II, who was attempting to make Germany a major sea power. As a result, the demand for Becker's paintings increased further inland. His studio was in a suburb of Düsseldorf, and he worked mostly by commissions. This included a major one for murals in the German shipping pavilion at the
Exposition Universelle of 1900, in Paris. Shortly after, he became a member of the , and promoted their exhibitions. He was married to Annette Otto; daughter of
Nicolaus Otto, the inventor who developed one of the first
internal combustion engines. Their son, Claus, was born in 1902. The following year, they returned to Hamburg. Claus displayed an early aptitude for art and also became a painter, in a wide variety of genres. He died in Hamburg in 1983. ==References==