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Scottsdale Art Auction 2026 Shatters Records with $16.5 Million Sale and 97% Sell-Through Rate!

Driven by nearly 1,400 bidders across the room and online, the April 10–11 auction set 30 new artist records

The 2026 Scottsdale Art Auction delivered a landmark, record-breaking sale, generating more than $16.5 million and achieving a remarkable 97% sell-through rate. Fueled by intense competition from 951 online bidders and nearly 400 attendees in the room, the auction set 30 new artist records—bringing its all-time total to 315—led by a group of 17 works by Will James which realized an impressive $1,747,800, April 10-11 in Scottsdale, Arizona.

The $16.5 million result is three million dollars over the cumulative high estimate of all lots in both sessions of the sale, a figure almost unheard of in the auction business.

Session II kicked off with seventeen lots from the Abe Hays Collection of paintings and drawings by author and illustrator Will James, the star of the day being his masterwork Smoky and Clint from his illustrated novel Smoky the Cowhorse, published by Scribner in 1926. The lot shot up immediately with heavy bidding coming from online, on the phone and in the room and after a nearly ten-minute bidding war, sold for $990,000, obliterating the preauction estimate of $50,000-$75,000 and flying by James’ previous World Auction Record of $150,000. Actually, three lots earlier, James painting A Heeler in the Slack sold for $156,000, setting his World Auction Record for approximately three minutes before Smoky and Clint crossed the auction block.

Smoky the Cowhorse is the book that catapulted James into literary stardom, winning the 1927 Newbery Medal which is given to the “Most distinguished contributions to American literature for children.”

In all, this first installment of the Hays Collection of works by Will James featured 17 works and sold for a cumulative $1,747,800. Other notable sales from the collection include Bull Dogger (8 x 9”), which sold for $90,000 against an estimate of $18,000-$24,000 and the pencil drawing titled Bronco Buster (17 ½ x 13 ½”) which sold for $66,000 against an estimate of $8,000-$12,000. The second installment of the collection will be included in the auction’s August online sale.

“It was an impressive two days of sales,” says Brad Richardson, who owns the auction twenty-one-year-old auction house along with art dealer Michael Frost. “Bidding was incredibly strong for both historic and contemporary artists and along with the record breaking sales from the collection of Will James, we also set records for many of the most sought after artists working in the Western genre today.”

Nicolai Fechin is another historic Western artist whose work saw continual success throughout the day. Carmencita (20 x 16”) sold for $1,020,000 against an estimate of $600,000-$900,000 while another small portrait, Consuelo (13 x 12”), sold for $252,000 and a floral still life (24 x 20”) sold for $396,000.

Historic sculpture also achieved high results as Frederic Remington’s classic bronze The Broncho Buster, lifetime cast number 56 from Roman Bronze Works sold for $690,000, almost double its high estimate of $350,000.

Many of the record-breaking sales were for the works of living artists. The highlight of such was Blood on the Horizon (40 x 50”) by Billy Schenck which sold for $216,000, nearly four times the high estimate of $65,000 and well above the previous World Auction Record for Schenck of $66,000. Schenck’s painting Sam’s Rifle (30 x 24”) sold in Session I for $60,000 against an estimate of $8,000-$12,000. Also, Rider on the Ridge (24 x 20”) sold for $42,000 against an estimate of $6,000-$9,000.

Another highlight of the contemporary lots was Kyle Polzin’s still life America Endures—250 years of Valor and Virtue (64 x 33”). Works by Polzin have achieved incredible results for years at the Scottsdale Art Auction and this new work did not disappoint as bidders in the room and on the phone quickly brought the painting to $336,000, a new World Auction Record for the sought-after artist.  The painting included a reference to Emanuel Leutze’s Washington Crossing the Delaware, a symbol of resilience and courage for Polzin.

“I created this painting to mark the 250^th anniversary of the United States,” says Polzin. “Not only to celebrate, but to reflect on what it takes for a nation to endure. Endurance isn’t guaranteed. It depends on virtue, integrity, and the willingness of people to carry those values forward.”

Another artist whose works achieved record results throughout the sale was legendary Arizona icon Ed Mell. Mell’s painting Guardo Expanse (30 x 60”) sold for $132,000 against an estimate of $55,000-$85,000, a new World Auction Record for Mell. His painting Peach Rose (30 x 60”) sold for $108,000, a World Auction Record for a Mell floral. His painting Rain and Runoff (20 x 30”) sold for $102,000, four times the estimate of $28,000-$38,000. Another landscape, Sundown Strike (24 x 18”) sold for $84,000 against an estimate of $25,000-$35,000.

Other notable sales for the two-day auction include: Eric Bowman, Golden Canopy (49 x 59”), $96,000; John Ford Clymer, The Metis Brigade (20 x 40”), $300,000; Martin Grelle, Last of the Pemnican (48 x 72”), $270,000; G. Harvey, Line Shack Cowhands (24 x 36”), $204,000; E.I Couse, The Master Potter (24 x 29”), $192,000; E. Martin Hennings, Homeward Through the Sage (14 x 14”), $168,000; Mark Maggiori, The Buffalo Herder (24 x 30”), $144,000; and Howard Terpning, The Mighty Blackfoot (24 x 18”), $132,000.

Spring 2026 Auction Highlights

Scottsdale Art Auction – Over $260 Million in Sales

Where Western Art and fine collectable artwork meet passionate art collectors and connoisseurs. Scottsdale Art Auction is the premier destination for buying and selling historic artwork, masterful paintings, and sculptures from the most celebrated artists of the American West and beyond.

Trusted Art Dealers and Auctioneers – More than 8,500 Artworks Sold

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Read about the April 2025 in Antiques & the Arts Weekly

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