Beatrice Gilman Proske

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 in New York City, with a specialty in sculpture. Her expertise expanded to American sculpture with her work at Brookgreen Gardens in South Carolina, and she died an honorary trustee. Her work also included advising the magazine of the National Sculpture Society. 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. She attended Simmons College in Boston, receiving her B.S. in library science in 1920. From 1922 through 1923 Gilman attended the School of American Sculpture.

In 1935 she married Herbert Proske, who was born and raised in Germany. In their marriage they had one child together, a daughter named Cynthia Anna (Proske) Bech on June 14, 1939.

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, 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.

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)