Monique Cras

Monique Amélie Cras, born in Brest on September 10, 1910 and died in Paris 7e on December 17, 20072, was a French painter and poster artist.

Daughter of composer Jean Cras, and a pupil of Jean-Paul Laurens and Louis Roger at the École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts, she exhibited at the Salon des artistes français from 1926, and in 1928 at the Salon d'automne, of which she was a member, with her painting Ecce homo. She also took part in the Salon des Indépendants.

She won numerous prizes in France and abroad: Prix Chenavrard, twice Prix Gay-Lebrun, Prix Dulac, Prix Henner, several times Prix Taylor and, among others, the Governors' Prize for French West Africa. Having received a scholarship, she traveled to North Africa, visiting Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. A resident at Casa de Velázquez from 1939 to 1940, she returned to Africa and traveled to Senegal, Mauritania and Niger, which led her to be considered an Africanist artist.

She also produced commissions for the French State, the City of Paris, New Caledonia, the French Overseas Territories, etc.