Thomas Craven
| Thomas Craven | |
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Sketch of Thomas Craven by George Grosz from the cover of the September 30, 1939 Saturday Review of Literature
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| Born |
Thomas Jewell Cravens January 6, 1888 Salina, Kansas |
| Died | February 27, 1969 (aged 81) Boston, Massachusetts |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Author, lecturer, critic, art historian |
| Notable work | Men of Art and Modern Art: the Men, the Movements, the Meaning |
| Spouse(s) | Aileen St. John-Brenon |
| Children | Richard |
Thomas Craven (January 6, 1888 – February 27, 1969) was an American author, critic and lecturer, who promoted the work of American Regionalist painters, Thomas Hart Benton, John Steuart Curry and Grant Wood, among others. He was known for his caustic comments and being the “leading decrier of the School of Paris.”
He was born in 1888, in Salina, Kansas, the son of Richard Price and Virginia Bates Cravens. He graduated from Kansas Wesleyan University in 1908. He has been described as "a red-haired Kansan, as unassuming in private conversation as he is dogmatic on the printed page. He has been a reporter in Denver, a schoolmaster in California and Porto Rico (sic), a deckhand in the West Indies, an unsuccessful painter and poet." He was friends with numerous artists of his day including George Grosz and Thomas Hart Benton. He married Aileen St. John-Brenon, on August 25, 1923 and they were divorced in 1947. He summered in West Tisbury, on Martha's Vineyard and moved there permanently in 1949. He died in Boston, Massachusetts, on February 27, 1969, at the age of 81.
He wrote numerous books, several were very popular including, Men of Art and Modern Art: the Men, the Movements, the Meaning both of which were Book-of–the-Month club selections. Another of his books, A Treasury of Art Masterpieces: from the Renaissance to the Present Day reached the bestseller list and was re-issued several times. In addition he contributed essays, articles and criticisms to numerous periodicals including, Scribners, Harpers, The Dial, The Nation, The New Republic, The American Mercury, and The Forum. At one time he was the art critic for the New York American. An example of his "no holds barred" writing comes from the Introduction to Modern Art; the Men, the Movements, the Meaning:
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