Gustave Adolphe Désiré Crauck (or Crauk; 16 July 1827 – 17 November 1905) was a French

sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

with a long distinguished career. He was born and died at

Valenciennes Valenciennes (, also , , ; ; or ; ) is a communes of France, commune in the Nord (French department), Nord Departments of France, department, Hauts-de-France, France. It lies on the Scheldt () river. Although the city and region experienced ...

, where a special museum for his works was erected in his honor. Educated at the

École des Beaux-Arts ; ) refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The term is associated with the Beaux-Arts architecture, Beaux-Arts style in architecture and city planning that thrived in France and other countries during the late nineteenth centu ...

, Crauck took the

Prix de Rome The Prix de Rome () or Grand Prix de Rome was a French scholarship for arts students, initially for painters and sculptors, that was established in 1663 during the reign of Louis XIV of France. Winners were awarded a bursary that allowed them t ...

in 1851. Little known to the world at large during his long life, he ranks among the best modern sculptors of France. At Paris his Coligny monument is in the rue de Rivoli; his ''Victory'' in the Place des Arts et Métiers; and ''Twilight'' in the Avenue de l'Observatoire. Among his finest works is his ''Combat du Centaure'', on which he was engaged for thirty years, the figure of the

Lapith The Lapiths (; , ''Lapithai'', sing. Λαπίθης) were a group of legendary people in Greek mythology, who lived in Thessaly in the valley of the Pineios and on the mountain Pelion. They were believed to have descended from the mythical Lapi ...

having been modelled after the strongman,

Eugen Sandow Eugen Sandow (born Friedrich Wilhelm Müller, ; 2 April 1867 – 14 October 1925) was a German bodybuilder and showman from Prussia. He was born in Königsberg, and became interested in bodybuilding at the age of ten during a visit to Italy. Aft ...

. He also sculpted the monuments of Jules-Auguste Béclard and Edmond About among several of his works at

Père Lachaise Cemetery Père Lachaise Cemetery (, , formerly , ) is the largest cemetery in Paris, France, at . With more than 3.5 million visitors annually, it is the most visited necropolis in the world. Buried at Père Lachaise are many famous figures in the ...

in Paris. He contributed the figures of ''

Douai Douai ( , , ; ; ; formerly spelled Douay or Doway in English) is a city in the Nord (French department), Nord département in northern France. It is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture of the department. Located on the river Scarpe (rive ...

'' and ''

Dunkirk Dunkirk ( ; ; ; Picard language, Picard: ''Dunkèke''; ; or ) is a major port city in the Departments of France, department of Nord (French department), Nord in northern France. It lies from the Belgium, Belgian border. It has the third-larg ...

'' to the façade of the

Gare du Nord The Gare du Nord (; ), officially Paris Nord, is one of the seven large mainline railway station termini in Paris, France. The station is served by trains that run between the capital and northern France via the Paris–Lille railway, as well ...

, and contributed the figure of Vauban for the façade of the

Palais du Louvre The Louvre Palace (, ), often referred to simply as the Louvre, is an iconic French palace located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in Paris, occupying a vast expanse of land between the Tuileries Gardens and the church of Saint-Ger ...

. In 1907 an exhibition of his works was held in the École des Beaux-Arts.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Crauck, Gustave French architectural sculptors 19th-century French sculptors French male sculptors 20th-century French sculptors 20th-century French male artists Prix de Rome for sculpture 1827 births 1905 deaths Artists from Valenciennes École des Beaux-Arts alumni 19th-century French male artists