Born in Surrey, England, in 1918, Brooker began his artistic training at the Croydon School of Art in 1936. During World War II, he stopped his education to serve in the Royal Artillery and returned to his studies in 1947 at the Chelsea School of Art and Goldsmiths College of Art. William Brooker started a brilliant teaching career in 1949, being appointed Senior Lecturer at Central School of Arts and Crafts, London, in 1965 and Principal of the Wimbledon School of Art in 1969.
His still lifes are noted for exquisite tonal subtlety in portraying ordinary objects, as exemplified in the nearly monochromatic painting Still life: Compotier with Jars & Pot. In this artwork, the duo of pots on the left emerges from the backdrop, distinguished only by delicate shifts in hue and understated shadow play. By employing a minimalist aesthetic and forgoing intricate details in the depicted subjects, he reduces familiar objects to their fundamental geometric forms. This approach nudges the still life close to the edge of abstraction, transforming the everyday into the purely visual.
Brooker’s work started to be exhibited at Arthur Tooth & Sons, London, from the 1950s, where he continued to exhibit regularly. His work is held in public collections, such as the Tate Gallery and the Aberdeen Art Gallery in England.