Lightner Museum Exhibition Rediscovers Major American Artist:

Felix F. de Crano 

19th century artist Felix F. de Crano’s oil and watercolor paintings will be on view in the Tiberio Gallery of the Lightner Museum.  Over thirty works by the artist, including local scenes, landscapes, and portraits, will be presented in this major exhibit.

“Long forgotten by most of the art world, Felix Frederick de Crano was arguably the most sophisticated and versatile artist in Henry Morrison Flagler’s Ponce de Leon colony of painters in Saint Augustine,” according to art historian Deborah Pollack in her new work FELIX F. de CRANO, Forgotten Artist of the Flagler Art Colony.  Pollack goes on to state, “de Crano’s French birth and continental upbringing, along with his frequent trips to Europe, cultivated his aesthetic appreciation and technique of both academic and progressive tendencies in art.”

Nineteenth century Saint Augustine saw many changes, most significantly the influx of tourists seeking relief from dreary northern winters.  The Ancient City, as it was known as at that time, had already begun attracting invalids and speculators seeking a new life. However, it would take the vision and fortunes of Standard Oil partner Henry Morrison Flagler to totally transform the sleepy Spanish colonial village into a mecca for the newly rich and famous American visitor.  As a backdrop to the quaint town and fortress, Flagler built two grand hotels and acquired another.  The two grandest inns were the Ponce de Leon and the Alcazar, which mirrored the type of hotels he had visited in Europe. He would entertain his guests with fine cafes, recreational venues, musical events, and art exhibits.  To accommodate the colony of painters Flagler invited to Saint Augustine, studios were constructed to line the rear of the Ponce De Leon Hotel.  Important artists of the time, such as Martin Johnson Heade, Laura Woodward, Staples Drown, and Frank Shapleigh worked in these studios and held exhibitions to sell their work during the season.

After de Crano’s death in 1908, his widow Mary Gratz de Crano continued to exhibit his paintings during the winter season and they were well received in local art circles. By the end of the first quarter of the twentieth century, however, de Crano’s art was largely forgotten. 

According to the Museum’s director Robert Harper, “this exhibit and Deborah Pollack’s research  will restore de Crano’s rightful place in American art history.”

Submerse yourself in Saint Augustine’s Gilded Age; re-discover forgotten artist Felix F. de Crano in a never seen to the public compilation of 19th century oil and watercolor paintings from one of Henry Flagler’s chosen few:  Felix F. de Crano.