Thirty Bob Ross paintings to be sold at auction to help fund public TV stations | US news
Thirty paintings created by the thick-haired, soft-spoken man bob ross will soon be auctioned to cover programming costs for small and rural public television stations suffering from federal funding cuts.
Ross, a public television favorite in the 1980s and ’90s, “dedicated his life to making the arts accessible to everyone,” said Joan Kowalski, president of Bob Ross Inc. “This auction ensures that her legacy will continue to support the medium that brought her joy and creativity into American homes for decades.”
Bonhams in Los Angeles will auction three of Ross’s paintings on November 11. More auctions will follow in London, New York, Boston and online. All profits are pledged to stations using content from distributor American Public Television.
The idea is to help stations in need with licensing fees that allow them to show popular programs based on Ross’s show, such as The Best of Joy of Painting, America’s Test Kitchen, Julia Child’s French Chef Classics and This Old House.
At Donald Trump’s request, Congress eliminated $1.1 billion in funding for public broadcasting. 330 PBS and 246 NPR stations finding alternative sources of financing. Many have launched emergency fund campaigns. Some have had to lay off staff and cut programs.
The beloved Ross died of complications from cancer in 1995, after working 11 years on the production of The Joy of Painting. The how-to show was featured on stations across the United States and around the world. The former air force drill sergeant, known for his calm demeanor and words of encouragement, has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity during the lockdowns of the Covid-19 pandemic.
While working on the air, Ross often talked about painting happy little clouds and trees and making no mistakes, just “happy accidents.”
The 30 paintings up for auction span Ross’s career and include landscapes depicting serene mountain views and his signature aesthetic lakescapes. He created most of the broadcast’s 30 episodes in less than 30 minutes each, the duration of a single episode.
Bonhams sold two of Ross’s early 1990s mountain and lake scenes for $114,800 and $95,750 in August. Bonhams said the total value of its auctions of 30 upcoming paintings ranged from $850,000 to $1.4 million.
