Alexander
Phimister Proctor was born in 1860. Born in humble
settings, he was destined to live in the West, a destiny
that would shape his career. He was born in Canada but
his family moved several times, finally settling in
Colorado. Proctor was the fourth of eleven children.
Nicknamed “Young Phim”, Proctor had two interests as a
child. They were the wilderness and art. He spent his
time both drawing and fishing. His father was extremely
supportive of his art talent and urged his son to take
art lessons. Proctor attended public school until the
8th grade and then began an apprenticeship under
engraver J. Harrison Mills.
Proctor realized it was necessary to travel to New York
in order to receive formal art training, but he wasn’t
financially able to do so. He experimented with
different professions including mining in order to earn
money for the trip. Finally, he had to sell his home in
Colorado. |
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In 1885, he moved to
New York and enrolled in a class at the National Academy
of Design. He began sketching wild animals in his spare
time. After admiring the works of Antoine-Louis Barye,
Proctor’s interests shifted from painting to sculpture.
For the next few years, he divided his time between the
City where he needed to be for his training and the
wilderness that was so dear to his heart. Throughout his
almost 70 year career, he developed a reputation as one
of the best animalier sculptors in America.
Proctor was an extremely talented artist, especially in
his depictions of wild animals. His sculptures appear
throughout the Bronx Zoo, and one can see how he
displays all the different animals in his unique style.
His style is a blend of naturalistic and lively. His
last great commission is at the University of Texas in
Austin. It’s titled Mustangs.
Today, Proctor is remembered for his sculpted monuments
(usually of western themes) and his General Robert E.
Lee in Dallas and Theodore Roosevelt in Portland Oregon.
During his lifetime, Proctor enjoyed a lot of
recognition for his work. Among his honors were the
prestigious Prix de Rome in 1898 and a Gold Medal at the
Paris Universal Exposition.
Proctor was quoted as saying, “I am eternally obsessed
with two deep desires- one, to spend as much time in the
wilderness, and the other, to accomplish something
worthwhile in art.”
Proctor, fondly remembered as the “sculptor in buckskin”
died in 1950, having lived to achieve his two desires.
His life was a long and happy one. He is remembered not
only for his talent but also his good humor. He was a
lover of intellectual challenges and he constantly
strived to improve his art.
It is possible that undiscovered works of Phimister
exist. Although many of his projects were large scale
monuments, he produced some incredible smaller bronzes.
Many of them echo the western themes of his larger
monuments. They can be characterized by a naturalistic
style that still resonates with life. |
