François Crastre

François Crastre was a French art historian and critic, active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Sources available during this search describe him as having been born in Paris in 1864 and dying in 1937, and as a writer closely associated with art history and artist biography.

He is best known today for concise, accessible books on painters such as Goya, Rosa Bonheur, and Veronese, along with other art-related works. Library and catalog records also show him contributing biographical and critical writing, including work connected to Jean Jaurès.

Some biographical details appear in reader and catalog sites rather than easily verifiable primary reference pages, so it is safest to say that he was remembered chiefly as a French commentator on art who wrote for a broad audience and helped introduce notable artists to new readers.