Contemporary Western Art Showcase Returns to San Antonio’s Briscoe Museum

by Glasstire March 15, 2023

The Briscoe Western Art Museum, a collecting institution located on San Antonio’s River Walk, has announced the details of its 2023 Night of Artists exhibition and art sale. This annual event serves as the museum’s primary fundraiser and this year will feature nearly 300 works by over 80 contemporary Western artists. The museum defines Western art as that which, “shares the stories of the cowboy, the vaquero, Native Americans, and the vast beauty of the Western landscape through drawings, sketches, paintings, and sculptures.” 

An oil painting of a flowering desert plant by Caroline Korbell Carrington.

Caroline Korbell Carrington, “Desert Rose,” 2019, oil on canvas, 47 x 36 inches.

“As the culture shifts,” that explanation of the genre continues, “so does our interpretation of Western art, but the stories remain the same.” To that end, according to a recent press release from the Briscoe, Night of Artists seeks to dispel the notion of Western art as “dusty, historic relics of the past.” An online gallery of works from the exhibition and sale reveals a wide array of familiar Western themes as interpreted by contemporary practitioners. The Briscoe has also published a full list of participating artists with links to their websites.

A stylized painting of a man drinking coffee near a campfire in an expansive desert landscape.

William Haskell, “Hardscrabble Trail,” 2022, acrylic on panel, 24 x 18 inches (unframed).

Night of Artists is not a night, but a six-week event. It kicks off with a two-day collectors summit on March 24 and 25 at the Westin Riverwalk. The summit will be moderated by journalist Michael Clawson and feature artists Don Oelze and Mary Rose Buccholz, collectors Abigail Kampmann and Robert Oliver, and arts professionals Kevin Doyle of Jackson Hole Art Auction and Beau Alexander of Maxwell-Alexander Gallery in Los Angeles. 

A stylized painting of a young girl by Kevin Red Star.

Kevin Red Star, “‘Magpie’ – Young Crow Indian Girl,” acrylic and mixed media on canvas, 28 x 22 inches.

An exhibition preview and live auction will be held at 5:30 pm on Friday, March 24. There will be cocktails and a seated dinner. The auction, conducted by Troy Black, will feature 35 artworks. The following day, March 25, features an artist award luncheon from 11:30 am to 1 pm (tickets for this luncheon are sold out), and a grand opening reception at 5:30 pm. The reception will feature a “Luck of the Draw” sale where interested parties may enter their names to be drawn for the chance to purchase over 270 works at fixed prices. Live music will be provided by country musician Will Banister, who gained notoriety by performing the opening song to Clint Eastwood’s 2021 neo-Western Cry Macho.

Remaining tickets for all events range in price from $250 for single-event entry to $550 for all-inclusive packages. They may be purchased online or by calling (210) 299-4499. 

All works from the sale will be exhibited in the Briscoe’s galleries from March 26 until May 7 and may be visited with standard museum admission of $14 for adults. For information on reduced rates, hours, and more on Night of Artists, visit the museum’s website.

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