I started my year in New York City watching Christie’s sell Bill Koch’s Western collection for $84 million. That was within the first three weeks of 2026.
Since then, it’s been a steady stream of blockbuster sales, hit exhibitions and sold-out solo shows, from Scottsdale Art Auction hitting $990,000 on a Will James piece in April and Coeur d’Alene Art Auction clinching $1.1 million on a John Clymer painting in July, to phenomenal presentations at the Prix de West, Night of Artists and Coors Western Art Exhibit & Sale throughout the first half of the year. Maxwell Alexander Gallery helped place Maynard Dixon’s Cloud World at the Denver Art Museum for, presumably, a seven-figure price tag. We’ve seen sell-out shows from Billy Schenck, Sean Michael Chavez, William Haskell, Abigail Gutting, Thomas Blackshear II and many others. Prices are high, buying is passionate and competition is fierce. By any metric, 2026 has been a great year.
Then came Jackson Hole in September with $18.3 million in sales from Jackson Hole Art Auction. More than half of it came from Mark Maggiori’s solo show, which sold every piece to the tune of $9.3 million. If there was any doubt before, Maggiori’s show confirmed it—2026 is one for the record books.
The handwringing started almost immediately after the Maggiori sale closed. People who follow the market were desperately trying to make sense of it: “What does it all mean?” The exhilaration turned to befuddlement and confusion within days. No one outside of modern art circles in New York and Los Angeles has seen a $9 million show before. And certainly not in Western art in Jackson Hole.
Mark Maggiori can be a polarizing figure, so some of the exasperation was aimed at him. One early theory that was floated was that Mark’s knock-out solo show brought in Mark Maggiori collectors, not Western art collectors. Jackson Hole Art Auction’s Kevin Doyle doused water on those flames when he said that bidders for Mark’s sale were across the board, including older Western collectors and many new bidders—new to the auction house, new to Maggiori, new to Western art. Several bidders had never even met Mark or been to one of his shows. These weren’t just fanboys (and fangirls) bidding. It was a diverse array of collectors.
But back to the question, “What does it all mean?” For me, it’s been a phenomenal year that speaks to the power and resilience of Western art. And great sales results, no matter where they come from, benefit the entire Western market. Back in January, after the Christie’s sale, I was at several NYC art fairs not known for Western art. The recurring subject on everyone’s lips: “Did you hear a Western sale made $84 million?!” If the goal is to keep this art form alive and thriving, then these blockbuster sales and events are going to help that mission. And Western Art Collector will be there. —
Michael Clawson, Executive Editor
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