Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2026/No. 222 i Western Art Collector

Welcome to the February issue of Western Art Collector! I am writing this on the last day of 2025 and I am excited looking ahead to 2026. As I reflect on this year and the Western art market, I marvel at the record-breaking level of collecting we saw from almost every category of Western art from auctions, solo gallery shows, group shows and museums. It is clear that the West has won the hearts and minds of an even larger base of collectors. For both the contemporary West and the classic West, collectors are coming together to admire both of these categories within the true spirit of the American West. Billy Schenck’s Antonito captures this perfectly on our cover this month. The image comes from Mark Sublette’s big retrospective for…

Through March 9 Heritage & the Human Condition MUSEUM OF ART + LIGHT Manhattan, KS - (785) 775-5444 www.artlightmuseum.org Through March 22 Ben Steele: A POP of Art! JAMES MUSEUM OF WESTERN & WILDLIFE ART St. Petersburg, FL – (727) 892-4200 www.thejamesmuseum.org Through April 11 Lighting the Way: Robert Lougheed and His Legacy STEAMBOAT ART MUSEUM Steamboat Springs, CO (970) 870-1755 www.steamboatartmuseum.org Through April 12 From the Vault: Never Before Seen Items from the Bryan Collection THE BRYAN MUSEUM Galveston, TX – (409) 220-3020 www.thebryanmuseum.org Through April 18 Along the Trail THE LEGACY AT THE NATIONAL WESTERN STOCK SHOW Denver, CO – (303) 291-2567 www.coorswesternart.com…

In October, the Desert Caballeros Western Museum in Wickenburg, Arizona, announced it had received a $20 million donation from longtime supporters Carey and Jack Sigler, a Wickenburg couple who are art collectors and advocates for the arts. The museum also announced a new name: the Sigler Western Museum. The $20 million gift, along with $9.25 million from other donors, will be used to build a new art museum and pavilion across the street from the existing museum building. The new facility will span more than 27,000 square feet with gallery spaces, an indoor pavilion and outdoor courtyard, adding to the museum’s 25,000-square-foot existing main building and the existing 4,674-squarefoot Cultural Crossroads Learning Center. The new buildings are expected to open in late 2027. It will be designed by Phoenixbased Studio…

1 Mad Charcoal at the Marshall Gallery On his website, Josh Hernandez dubs himself and his work as “Mad Charcoal,” and it’s an appropriate moniker. The Phoenix-based artist, who works in both charcoal and oils, was raised in Los Angeles, where he was exposed to many different cultures, including his own Hispanic heritage. Today, he aims to “[transform] the grit of his upbringing and the depth of his faith into powerful visual meditations on humanity.” Although he paints many different subjects, including religious images of Jesus and visceral figurative works, he has devoted a large part of his output to Western imagery, including horses, cowboys and bucking broncs. In February, he will have new work, including Western pieces, at the Marshall Gallery in Scottsdale, Arizona. See more of his work at…

They say age is just a number, and Robert Pummill makes a great case for it. The Texas artist, who is celebrating his 90th birthday in February, is proud he still spends at least 40 hours a week in his studio. “I enjoy doing it,” he says of his painting schedule, adding that he has no plans to slow down. Pummill, long known for his Western images, particularly images of Texas, will be the guest of honor at a show at InSight Gallery on February 6 as the gallery celebrates the painter’s 90th birthday with a massive new grouping of paintings. Among the collection of work will be some of the Pummill’s most famous subjects, including Texas bluebonnets in majestic landscape paintings. Other works include Native American subjects, prickly pear…

Route 66 holds a special place in the lore of the American West R and, during the year of its 100th anniversary, exhibitions celebrating the historic highway are popping up all around the region, including in Arizona, home to a nearly 400-mile stretch of the iconic Mother Road. Altamira Fine Art in Scottsdale, Arizona, is joining the festivities with The Great American Road Trip, a group exhibition featuring popular Western artists Geoffrey Gersten, Dennis Ziemienski, Jennifer Johnson and Miles Glynn. For Johnson, the open road has always meant freedom and the unknown future ahead. “Route 66 captures that classic American spirit, especially the 1940s and ’50s era when families piled into the car, a dog rode along in the back seat, and heading west felt full of possibility,” she says.…

Coming off a record-breaking 2025 fall sale, the Jackson Hole Art Auction is returning to bidders with an online sale comprising more than 430 lots that will be offered in a timed and live auction format. The annual online sale also boasts a new name for 2026: Attainable Art for the Emerging Collector. “This sale will have very attainable material as far as price point. It will make it very accessible for all kinds of collectors,” says auction director Kevin Doyle, who adds that the splitting of the sale across two formats was to cater to bidders, especially those who may not be able to, or even want to, sit through a nine-hour sale. “We’re trying to be very mindful of our clients’ time, which is why we’re presenting the…

Blue Rain sees strong sales for its Western stars A strong fall and winter propelled Blue Rain Gallery into 2026 with momentum. Major sales included Dennis Ziemienski’s Santa Fe Lodge and Starr Hardridge’s Sister Survivor. “The collectors who acquired Santa Fe Lodge by Dennis Ziemienski have long admired his work and were immediately drawn to the painting’s sense of familiarity. Depicting a city along historic Route 66, the work evokes nostalgia and the enduring charm of a simpler era, a connection made especially meaningful as Route 66 runs through the collectors’ own hometown,” says Leah Garcia with the gallery. “Similarly rooted in personal connection, Sister Survivor by Starr Hardridge was acquired for its powerful expression of resilience and strength. As a Muscogee artist, Hardridge infuses the work with deep cultural…

One of our core missions here at Western Art Collector is to introduce readers to artists whose works they can own. We also go a step further: not only do we introduce you to artists, but we show you works by those artists that are available for purchase. “Collector” is right there in our title, and that is why we focus on art that is on the market as often as possible. It’s what drives all of the content in these pages. One of the ways we show you new and available work is to emphasize our preview coverage. When artwork hits a gallery, auction or museum exhibition, we want you to learn about these pieces as soon as possible, because that’s how purchases are made. Many magazines, going back…

March 19-21, 2026 Out West Art Show & Sale Great Falls, MT – (406) 590-1961 March 19-21, 2026 March in Montana Coeur d’Alene, ID (208) 664-2091 March 19-21, 2026 The Russell Great Falls, MT – (406) 727-1939 March 27-28, 2026 Briscoe Western Art Museum Night of Artists San Antonio, TX – (210) 299-4499 March 27-29, 2026 Sigler Western Museum’s Cowgirl Up! Art from the Other Half of the West Wickenburg, AZ – (928) 684-2272 April 10-11, 2026 Scottsdale Art Auction Scottsdale, AZ – (480) 945-0225 May 20-25, 2026 Native Elements Santa Fe, NM – (505) 471-9103 May 22-25, 2026 Phippen Museum: Western Art Show & Sale Prescott, AZ – (928) 778-1385 June 12-13, 2026 Prix de West Oklahoma City, OK (405) 478-2250 July 17-26, 2026 Cheyenne Frontier Days Western Art…

South Carolina art dealer Jack Morris spent more than six decades in the art world. His path crossed with many of the greats: Frank McCarthy, John Clymer, Tom Lovell, Clark Hulings, John Coleman, Kim Wiggins, Glenna Goodacre and many others. Morris, known for his affable personality and deep knowledge of Western art, died October 29 in Greenville, South Carolina. He was 86 years old. Born in Macon, Georgia, Morris went to the University of South Carolina in Columbia, where he earned his bachelor’s degree and masters in drawing and painting. He also played football for the university from 1961 to 1963. Later graduate work pushed him into American art history, which propelled him into positions as an art administrator at Harvard University in 1970, and then also an assistant to…

VISIT WESTERNARTCOLLECTOR.COM/PASTISSUES OR CALL 1 (877) 947-0792 TO PURCHASE PAST ISSUES Create a library of fine Western art in your home by purchasing past issues of Western Art Collector. Enjoy timeless works of art, follow artists’ careers, and explore gallery and museum exhibitions and coast-to-coast art destinations that continue to define the nation’s Western art market. Collectors of Western art rely upon Western Art Collector to stay informed on the latest works from the country’s top contemporary Western artists as well as artwork from historic Western masters. Our magazine allows collectors to get a real sense of Western art that is coming available for sale—and opportunity to buy it right off our pages. Stay informed on the latest exhibits across the country, subscribe today online at WWW.WESTERNARTCOLLECTOR.COM…

The 2026 Chinese Zodiac is the Year of the Fire Horse, and Gallery Wild is celebrating the event with an exhibition devoted to equine art. The Year of the Horse will showcase a wide range of styles and mediums from gallery artists such as Patricia A. Griffin, Carrie Penley, Sandy Graves, Taryn Boals, Nealy Riley and Julie T. Chapman. “The horse is one of the most iconic subjects in Western art, and that legacy is at the heart of our excitement for this upcoming Year of the Horse exhibition. For generations, artists have looked to the horse as a symbol of strength, freedom and the unbreakable connection between humans and the West. What makes this show special is how our artists honor that tradition while updating it through a distinctly…

Kyle Ma’s last course before receiving his bachelor’s degree in geology at the University of Texas, Austin, was a sixweek field trip from Texas to Montana, mapping, studying geological history and getting up close to different rock layers. “Observation really is key to trying to paint representationally at a high level,” he explains. “There’s a lot of subtlety. I like to go beyond the obvious, to more than merely glancing at something. I like something that invites me to look longer, to see nuances.” Those nuances will be on view during Light, Land & Legacy: The Art of Kyle Ma, a new solo show at Legacy Gallery in Scottsdale, Arizona. It opens February 12. In addition to his Western landscapes, Ma will also be showing some of his European works,…

February 27-28 Western Horizons LEGACY GALLERY Scottsdale, AZ – (480) 945-1113 www.legacygallery.com January January 15-March 1 Unbound: Art of the West MODERN WEST FINE ART Salt Lake City, UT – (801) 355-3383 www.modernwestfineart.com February Opens February George G. Redden, Nathanael Volckening and Dan Stovall MAXWELL ALEXANDER GALLERY Pasadena, CA – (213) 275-1060 maxwellalexandergallery.com February 1 Robert Pummill INSIGHT GALLERY Fredericksburg, TX (830) 997-9920 www.insightgallery.com February 2-12 California & Western Art BONHAMS Online, Los Angeles (323) 850-7500 www.bonhams.com Opens February 6 Billy Schenck: 55 Year Retrospective MARK SUBLETTE MEDICINE MAN GALLERY & MAYNARD DIXON & NATIVE AMERICAN ART MUSEUM Tucson, AZ – (520) 722-7798 www.maynarddixonmuseum.org February 21-August 23 Photographer Cody S. Brothers: American Film BOOTH WESTERN ART MUSEUM Cartersville, GA – (770) 387-1300 www.boothmuseum.org February 6-May 4 Route 66: From Trails…

It was a busy fall at the Sigler Western Museum. Not only did the art destination celebrate a recordbreaking $20 million donation and then a name change, the museum once known as the Desert Caballeros Western Museum also saw a major acquisition from a prominent Arizona artist. In October 2025, the museum acquired a cast of John Coleman’s Victory! Plenty Coups, a 10-foot-tall monument depicting Plenty Coups, the Crow chief and warrior. The 1,000-pound work, which won the top sculpture award at the 2025 Prix de West, was installed October 24 at the museum in Wickenburg, Arizona. “This sculpture portrays Chief Plenty Coups mounted on his war horse, raising his coup stick as a symbol of victory, cultural pride and unity. His commanding presence embodies strength and resilience, leaving a…

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"There is a little bit of me and a whole lot of Hopi in every katsina I carve,” Tayron “Tay” Polequaptewa says, as if the wood itself remembers the hands of his ancestors and waits for his breath to wake it. From Shongopovi, atop Hopi’s Second Mesa in Northern Arizona, Tay brings form to the living teachings of the Hopi world. Tithu, what are commonly known as katsina dolls, are far more than carved figures. They are echoes of ceremony, guardians of memory—vessels of harmony, season and spirit. They remind the Hopi, and anyone willing to listen, that heritage is not a possession. It is a pulse meant to be honored, shared and protected. “For us, true wealth isn’t what we have. It’s what we share,” Tay says. For decades,…

Robert Moore grew up on a farm on the Snake River in Idaho and now lives just a few miles away, close to nature. “Working in the fields,” he says, “I was part of creation and it was part of me.” His father had suggested he study law, but after starting pre-law he realized it wasn’t for him. So he looked for something he could do that would still allow him to hunt and fish, have access to nature and earn a living. Art was the solution. He survived the lean years as a young artist as a single man. As his career advanced, he married his wife Rebecca and they now have six children. He is close to nature, he paints and, in 2012, he received the Idaho’s Governor’s…

Maxwell Alexander Gallery has been at the forefront of breaking new talent in the West for many years, and that streak continues with Under the Same Sky, a new show featuring a trio of artists: George G. Redden, Nathanael Volckening and Dan Stovall. The show runs from February 7 to 21 in Pasadena, California. With each of the three artists painting in a unique style—Stovall’s actionheavy cowboy scenes, Volckening’s quiet landscapes from the Southwest and Redden’s more introspective images of Native Americans—the show should pull in collectors of all types. “Showing at Maxwell Alexander Gallery is a meaningful milestone for me. I’ve admired the gallery’s commitment to artists who take risks and work with a strong sense of individuality, so being invited to present my work here feels very affirming…

Taking place February 20 and 21, the 2026 edition of Copley Fine Art Auction’s Winter Sale will have close to 650 lots in subjects like Western, wildlife and sporting art, as well as folk art, bird decoys, decorative carvings, Americana, bronzes and fishing collectables from curated collections and estates. The star of the sale is the Robert S. Doochin Collection of Sporting, Wildlife and Western Art. The prior owner of American Paper & Twine, Doochin was a discerning collector who amassed a collection of original works by some of the most prominent artists in American art history, including Frederic Remington, Eanger Irving Couse, Carl Rungius, Philip R. Goodwin, Frank Hoffman, W.H.D. Koerner, Ogden M. Pleissner and many others. Couse’s oil The Hunter’s Return, depicting a young Native American man after…

In 1930, during a devastating drought in the Southwest, Georgia O’Keeffe noticed animal bones near her home in New Mexico. Their sudden appearance on the desert floor was fascinating to the 43-year-old painter. The Art Institute of Chicago writes that she was “captivated by the stark elegance of the bones and shipped some back to New York so she could paint them the following year. She noted, ‘To me they are as beautiful as anything I know…The bones seem to cut sharply to the center of something that is keenly alive on the desert.’” That skull, and many others, would come to inform numerous works by O’Keeffe during her long and prosperous career. Though her paintings are sometimes seen outside the genre of Western art, O’Keeffe’s Southwestern works are very…