There was a buzz in the air leading into the 2026 Night of Artists exhibition, which was celebrating its 25th year at the Briscoe Western Art Museum in San Antonio, Texas. That kind of milestone is rare and only comes around once, so organizers were aiming for the moon with the exhibition. Their planning paid off. Not only was the show a huge hit, it was also a record breaker to the tune of $2.3 million and a 72 percent sell-through rate.
“This 25th anniversary is both a celebration and a statement about the strength of Western art today,” says Liz Jackson, president and CEO of the Briscoe Western Art Museum. “For a quarter century, Night of Artistshas brought together leading contemporary artists whose work continues to expand and redefine the genre. The record-breaking response we’ve seen this year is a powerful testament that Western art is not only enduring—it is evolving, relevant and deeply resonant with audiences and collectors today.”
Morgan Weistling, Buffalo Bill Cody, oil on linen, 34 x 24 in.
The fireworks started almost immediately during the Friday night live auction, which realized more than $460,000 in sales. Noteworthy lots included Gladys Roldán-de-Moras’ Guardians of Tradition that sold for $57,000, and Todd Connor’s She Stands Alone that sold for $41,000. Andrew Roda, Sean Michael Chavez and Mark Kohler also had strong results approaching and even surpassing high estimates. Another exceptional result on Friday night was the miniature sale, which hit nearly $150,000 and a sell-through rate of 93 percent.
During the main event on Saturday night, top-selling artists included Roda, Chavez, Jon Flaming, Kevin Chupik, Teal Blake, Shawn Cameron, Mikel Donahue, Teresa Elliott, Phil Epp, Martin Grelle, Donna Howell-Sickles, Grant Redden and Randy Van Beek.
1. Gladys Roldán-de-Moras, Guardians of Tradition, oil, 24 x 40 in. 2. Andrew Roda with some of his work in the museum’s gallery. 3. William Haskell with the March 2026 cover of Western Art Collector, which has his painting on the cover. 4. Artists from the 2026 Night of Artists. 5. The Western Art Collector team: Wendie Martin, left, Anita Weldon, Robin and Adolfo Castillo. 6. A painting by Sean Michael Chavez is offered in the live auction.
Award winners were Don Oelze, who won the Sam Houston Award for Painting; Curt Mattson won the James Bowie Award for Sculpture; Morgan Weistling won the “Cowboy Bob” Museum Purchase Award for his work Buffalo Bill Cody; Chad Poppleton won the David Crockett Award for Artists’ Choice; Pat Pauley won the William B. Travis Award for Patron’s Choice; and Martin Grelle won the Alamo Award for Best Body of Work. —
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