The Best of Proctor’s West: An In-Depth Study of Eleven of Proctor’s Bronzes

The Buffalo Bill Center of the West is home to the most extensive collection of material related to sculptor Alexander Phimister Proctor (1860–1950). The museum’s unrivaled holdings include the artist’s papers, personal effects, studio paraphernalia, and original works of art. Vast archival collections are made available for research through the Center’s McCracken Research Library, and a wide selection of Proctor’s bronze, marble, and plaster sculptures and paintings, drawings, and prints are presented within the Whitney Western Art Museum.

These rich resources informed and inspired The Best of Proctor’s West project, an in-depth study of eleven of the artist’s most celebrated bronzes. Comprising a scholarly publication and a searchable online database, the project weds connoisseurship and science. Bronzes studied include Fawn (first and second models), Stalking Panther (multiple variations), Arab Stallion, Indian Warrior (large and small versions), Moose, Elk, Q Street Buffalo, Buckaroo (multiple variations), Pursued (1914 and 1928 versions), Buffalo Hunt, and On the War Path.

A new, richly illustrated catalogue, The Best of Proctor’s West: An In-Depth Study of Eleven of Proctor’s Bronzes, contains extended interpretive essays by Peter H. Hassrick on each of the selected bronzes. Allison Rosenthal discusses recent scientific examinations of Proctor’s bronzes using X-ray florescence (XRF) spectrometry. Karen B. McWhorter adds an introduction about the Center’s Proctor Studio Collection and offers a brief biography of the artist. The online database complements and expands upon the publication.