Results and awards from summer events
By Kristin Hoerth
Search Party by Brent Cotton.
This story was featured in the September 2020 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art September 2020 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story.
THE SUMMER of 2020 has been anything but normal. With events canceled or modified, travel restricted, and the economic outlook uncertain, the art world has been dealt some significant blows. Nevertheless, event organizers have found ways to move forward, which means there have been some positive results and awards to tell you about this month.
At the Scottsdale Art Auction, which was postponed from early April to mid-June, bidding took place both in person and remotely. The auction realized $10.4 million in sales, and 91 percent of the roughly 375 lots found buyers. The top lot of the day was PONY EXPRESS by William R. Leigh, a 28-by-22-inch oil that sold for $585,000. Another highlight amongst works by historic masters was FEBRUARY CHINOOK, CROW RESERVATION by Joseph H. Sharp, a 20-by-30-inch oil estimated at $100,000-$150,000, which sold for $193,050. Paintings by contemporary artists did well: ARIZONA WONDERS by Mark Maggiori, a 32-by-34-inch oil estimated at $25,000-$35,000, sold for $70,200; multiple pieces by Ed Mell and Kyle Polzin sold above their high estimates.
At the Briscoe Western Art Museum in San Antonio, TX, the annual Night of Artists show and sale had been scheduled to open in late March but was instead conducted online; after the museum reopened in May, the exhibition remained on view through late July, when awards were announced. Both the Briscoe Museum Purchase Award and the James Bowie Award for Sculpture went to Paul Moore for THE PROCESSION, a roughly 4-foot-tall and 13-inch-deep bronze relief depicting a stream of Native American figures moving toward the viewer. The piece earned similar attention at last year’s Prix de West Invitational, where it also won the purchase award.
Painter Brent Cotton had an especially notable achievement, impressing both his peers and the public: His oil entitled SEARCH PARTY won the David Crockett Award for Artists’ Choice, and his smaller but dynamic piece WHILE THE IRON IS HOT won the William B. Travis Award for Patrons’ Choice. Artist Ezra Tucker was the Honorable Mention for both of those awards with his piece CORRECAMINOS. Meanwhile, the Sam Houston Award for Painting went to Martin Grelle for WOLVES IN BLUE.
In this issue you’ll find previews of numerous September events, including several—notably the Prix de West Invitational in Oklahoma City—that don’t usually take place in the fall. Most of them have adjusted their plans in some way due to public health concerns; information is accurate at press time but may change in the coming weeks. We wish you an artful month!
This story was featured in the September 2020 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art September 2020 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story.
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