Santa Fe Art Auction recorded more than $3.3 million in sales for its 31st Annual Signature Sale in New Mexico on November 7 and 8. Not only were sales high, but sales were consistent with a 95 percent sell-through rate across 350 lots over two days of sales.
Albert Bierstadt (1830-1902), Study for the Great Trees (Mariposa, California), ca. 1875. Oil on paper over board, 27½ x 18½ in. Estimate: $30/50,000 SOLD: $135,300
Reflecting the broadening focus of the auction house, the sale’s top lot was not from the West, or even Southwest, but from Europe: Pablo Picasso’s 1961 graphite on paper, Les déjeuners IV (d’après Manet), sold for $184,000, far surpassing a $100,000 high estimate.
Other top lots were Albert Bierstadt’s Study for the Great Trees (Mariposa, California) (est. $30/50,000) that sold for $135,000, Robert Daughters’ View of Valdez (est. $15/25,000) that sold for $40,000, and two Fritz Scholder paintings that sold for a combined total of $103,000.
Robert Daughters (1929-2013), View of Valdez. Oil on linen, 30¼ x 401/8 in. Estimate: $15/25,000 SOLD: $39,975
Other artists represented in the sale were John Clymer, Thomas Hart Benton, Earl Biss, Rick Bartow, Ansel Adams, Emil Bisttram and many others.
“Ultimately, Santa Fe Art Auction’s 2025 Signature Annual Live Sale drew significant interest from both collectors and institutions worldwide, with almost 8,000 registered bidders from 40 different countries,” the auction notes. “There was robust bidding activity on many offerings throughout the sale, including Native American art, classic to contemporary Western art, and European modernist works.” —
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