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 , , ; nl, label=also Dutch, Valencijn; pcd, Valincyinnes or ; la, Valentianae) is a commune in the Nord department, Hauts-de-France, France. It lies on the Scheldt () river. Although the city and region experienced a s ...

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

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

, Crauck took the Prix de Rome 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 (; grc, Λαπίθαι) are a group of legendary people in Greek mythology, whose home was in Thessaly, in the valley of the Peneus and on the mountain Pelion. Mythology Origin The Lapiths were an Aeolian tribe who, like the Myr ...

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. Born in Königsberg, Sandow became interested in bodybuilding at the age of ten during a visit to Italy. After a ...

. He also sculpted the monuments of

Jules-Auguste Béclard Jules–Auguste Béclard (17 December 1817 – 9 February 1887) was a French physiologist born in Paris. He was the son of anatomist Pierre Augustin Béclard (1785–1825). In 1842 he earned his doctorate in Paris, where he later became a profe ...

and Edmond About among several of his works at Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris. He contributed the figures of '' Douai'' and ''

Dunkirk Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label=French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a commune in the department of Nord in northern France.Gare du Nord The Gare du Nord (; English: ''station of the North'' or ''Northern Station''), officially Paris-Nord, is one of the six large mainline railway station termini in Paris, France. The station accommodates the trains that run between the capital ...

, and contributed the figure of Vauban for the façade of the Palais du Louvre. 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 People from Valenciennes École des Beaux-Arts alumni 19th-century French male artists