The upcoming Signature Live Sale at Santa Fe Art Auction is always one of the more anticipated auctions of the season, due in part to the fact that it offers the finest of all the categories that the auction house brings to market throughout the rest of the year. Every November, the bidding room is filled with lively, passionate bidders and often record hammer prices, making for a thrilling event for art collectors.
Rebecca Salsbury James (1891-1968), White Roses at Twilight, 1941. Reverse oil on glass, 195/8 x 15¾ in. Estimate: $200/300,000
The 2026 sale will feature more than 450 lots, including Western paintings and sculpture, historic photography and Native American textiles, pottery, paintings, jewelry and works on paper. In addition, this year’s Signature Sale will also offer the John B. Stetson set of Edward S. Curtis’s The North American Indian—one of the most compelling and historically distinguished complete sets of Curtis’ monumental publications to remain in private hands. It is estimated to fetch between $600,000 and $900,000.
Collectors should also keep their sights set on several important New Mexico modernists, contemporary Western artists and several legendary members of the Taos Society of Artists. Among the highlights in the sale is Ernest Martin Hennings’ Amongst the Aspens, a landscape with a Native American man and his horse, estimated to bring in $70,000 to $100,000.
Ernest Martin Hennings (1886-1956), Amongst the Aspens, oil on canvas over board, 13½ x 13½ in. Estimate: $70/100,000
“Hennings was a founding member of the Taos Society of Artists, and the relationship he developed with New Mexico during his lifetime put him at the leading edge of the modernism that was to come in the latter part of the 20th century,” says Gillian Blitch, president of Santa Fe Art Auction. “His work is particularly known for its representation of New Mexico’s renowned light-filled vistas, offering a luminous, nearly glowing quality. Amongst the Aspens depicts the artist’s quintessential subject matter—exploring man’s relationship to nature—while showcasing the artist’s masterful technique and keen sensitivity to light.”
Other historic works in the upcoming auction include Ed Mell’s 1997 View from Ward Terrace (est. $60/90,000), Joseph Henry Sharp’s oil on linen Hollyhocks (est. $20/40,000), Oscar E. Berninghaus’ Morning of the Fiesta – Taos Pueblo (est. $120/180,000), Apsáalooke artist Earl Biss’ A Ride in the Sweet Grass (est. $30/60,000), and Rebecca Salsbury James’ 1941 White Roses at Twilight, estimated at $200,000 to $300,000.
Joseph Henry Sharp (1859-1953), Hollyhocks. Oil on linen, 24 x 20 in. Estimate: $20/40,000
Ed Mell (1942-2024), View from Ward Terrace, 1997. Oil on canvas, 28¼ x 56 in. Estimate: $60/90,000
“The Western art market remains relatively stable,” says Blitch. “I think the auction industry is benefiting from a transparency demanded by newcomers to the art-collecting world and is therefore somewhat more resilient in the face of economic volatility. Twenty twenty-six has shown good collector interest, with strong demand for both historic works from the 19th and 20th centuries as well as contemporary approaches to the genre. Notably, paintings by women artists within the New Mexico Modernism tradition have seen increased appreciation over the past several years, including the work of Rebecca Salsbury James, which will be on the block this November.”
Santa Fe Art Auction’s Signature Live Sale will be held November 6 to 7. —
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