Beatrice Irene Gilman Proske (October 31, 1899 – February 2, 2002) was an art historian, specifically in Spanish and American sculpture. She was an early employee of the

Hispanic Society of America The term Hispanic () are people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an ethnic or meta-ethnic term. The term commonly appl ...

in New York City, with a specialty in sculpture. Her expertise expanded to American sculpture with her work at

Brookgreen Gardens Brookgreen Gardens is a sculpture garden and wildlife preserve, located just south of Murrells Inlet, in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The property includes several themed gardens featuring American figurative sculptures, the Lowcountry Zo ...

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

, and she died an honorary trustee. Her work also included advising the magazine of the

National Sculpture Society Founded in 1893, the National Sculpture Society (NSS) was the first organization of professional sculptors formed in the United States. The purpose of the organization was to promote the welfare of American sculptors, although its founding member ...

. She was the author of preeminent studies on Spanish sculpture and American sculpture.

Personal life

Gilman was born in Thornton, New Hampshire, on October 31, 1899, on a farm to parents Alice May (Hazeltine) Gilman and (Milan)Jeremiah Gilman. She had one older brother. Her early education was in a one-room schoolhouse. She attended

Simmons College Institutions of learning called Simmons College or Simmons University include: * Simmons University Simmons University (previously Simmons College) is a private university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1899 by ...

in Boston, receiving her B.S. in library science in 1920. From 1922 through 1923 Gilman attended the

School of American Sculpture School of American Sculpture was an art school founded in New York City by Solon Borglum following the World War I, in about 1918, that lasted only shortly after Borglum's death in 1922. During World War I, American sculptor Solon Borglum served ...

. In 1935 she married Herbert Proske, who was born and raised in Germany. In their marriage they had one child together, a daughter name Cynthia Anna (Proske) Bech on June 14,1939. During her life she traveled a lot for her work. In addition, during her life, she had achieved many awards for all the work she had done. She loved puns and wordplay, including composing some of her own poems, such as "Pride", inscribed on a plaque at Brookgreen Gardens. In her later life, she lived in

Ardsley, New York Ardsley is a village in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is part of the town of Greenburgh. The village's population was 5,079 at the 2020 census. The mayor of Ardsley is Nancy Kaboolian. The Ardsley post office serves the en ...

with her cat, "Pretty Boy." Proske died on February 2, 2002, in

, at the age of 102 at her home.

Career

Hispanic Society of America

In 1920, she was hired after an interview with Elizabeth du Gué Trapier as an art book cataloger at the library of the Hispanic Society, without any art experience. In 1922,

Archer Milton Huntington Archer Milton Huntington (March 10, 1870 – December 11, 1955) was an American philanthropist and scholar, primarily known for his contributions to the field of Hispanic studies. He founded the Hispanic Society of America in New York City, an ...

, founder of the Society, selected six women, of which she was one, to focus deeply on topics within the Society's collection. He asked if she would focus on sculpture, to which she agreed. He encouraged her growth through annual trips to Spain, as well as lessons in Spanish and sculpture. She went on to catalog the collection of sculpture of the Hispanic Society. She developed close friendships with Trapier and Alice Wilson Frothingham, two other women hired by Huntington to curate art and ceramics, respectively. They traveled to Europe together. As they began publishing, they styled their writings after

Ernest Hemingway Ernest Miller Hemingway ( ; July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer and journalist. Known for an economical, understated style that influenced later 20th-century writers, he has been romanticized fo ...

. She was

curator A curator (from , meaning 'to take care') is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the particular ins ...

of the museum from 1968 through 1969. Proske held numerous positions at the Hispanic Society, including Chief of Prints and Photographs, Assistant Curator of Sculpture, Research Curator of Sculpture, and then Curator of the Museum. She worked at the Hispanic Society for 52 years, from 1925 through 1973. She was appointed Curator Emerita of Sculpture in 1973, after her retirement from the position in 1972.

Brookgreen Gardens

Later, after the founding of Brookgreen Gardens, she was encouraged to expand into American sculpture by Huntington. She cataloged the collection of American sculpture of the 19th and 20th centuries of the collection of Brookgreen Gardens, the first garden of American sculpture open to the public. Proske authored a key source of study for American figurative sculpture from the 19th and 20th century works at Brookgreen Gardens. Specifically, Proske held expertise in the work of Anna Hyatt Huntington, a co-founder of Brookgreen Gardens. Proske was a board member from 1937 to 1945. During her tenure and beyond, she was the editor and curator of the Garden's publications.

National Sculpture Society

Proske was an advisory board member of the publication ''Sculpture Review'', published by the

. She was also a frequent attendee of their annual exhibitions.

Honors and awards

* Member of the Institute of Southern Studies of Spain *Silver Sorolla Medal, *The Hispanic Society of America, 1937 Sculpture Medal, The Hispanic Society of America, 1953 * Silver Membership Medal, The Hispanic Society of America, 1970 Honorary Trustee, Brookgreen Gardens, Murrells Inlet, SC, 1978 *Herbert Adams Memorial Medal, National Sculpture Society, 1979 *Inaugural Membership Medal, Brookgreen Gardens, 1987 *American Sculpture Symposium (dedicated to Beatrice Proske), The National Academy of Design, New York, NY, December 4, 1993

Selected publications

The following is a list of Proske's selected publications: *Gregorio Fernández (1920) *The Sculpture Catalog of the Hispanic Society (1930–1932) *Robert A. Baillie Carver of Stone (1946) *Castilian Sculpture, Gothic to Renaissance (1951) *Pompeo Leoni (1956) *Juan Martínez Montañés; Sevillian Sculptor (1967) *Brookgreen Gardens Sculpture (1968)

References

External links

Beatrice Gilman Proske OCLA WorldCat
{{DEFAULTSORT:Proske, Beatrice Gilman 1899 births 2002 deaths 20th-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century American women writers American art historians Simmons University alumni People from Thornton, New Hampshire American art curators American women curators American women centenarians American women art historians