Allan Crite was born in 1910 in New Jersey, his family relocated to Boston during his childhood. Crite showed real promise from an early age. He was encouraged to enroll at Chidren Art Centre there in Boston. In 1929 he graduated highschool. In 1930 he furthered his studies at the School of Boston Fine Arts where he graduated in 1936. During his final year schooling he was exhibiting professionally having showed at the Boston Society and the Harmond Foundation.
In 1940 he took a job at the Boston Naval Ship Yard where he worked as a engineering draftsman for the next thirty years.
His earlier paintings where neighborhood scenes of the Boston African American community and his work also touches on a spiritual nature by depicting religous scenes in the modern context of his day. Crite also created numerous liturical works for black churches. He also published two volumes his illustrations of negro spirtuals through Harvard Unirversity in the 1940's. His work also generally falls under American Realism.
Crite in 1968 later earned a B.A. at the Havard University extension school.
He died in 2007 in his hometown of Boston. Through his illustrious career he exhibited at Museum of Modern Art New York and Boston Museum of Fine Art. Leaving with us all his art work to enjoy and cherish.
