<\/p>\n
\n The late Bob Ross encouraged millions of Americans to make and appreciate art through his show The Joy of Painting, which has aired on PBS stations since 1983.<\/p>\n
Bob Ross Inc.\/AP<\/p>\n
hide caption\n <\/p>\n
toggle caption<\/p>\n
Bob Ross Inc.\/AP<\/p>\n
Dozens of Bob Ross paintings \u2014 many of them created live on the PBS series that made him a household name \u2014 will be auctioned off in the coming months to support public television.<\/p>\n
Ross, with his distinctive afro, soothing voice and sunny outlook, empowered millions of viewers to make and appreciate art through his show The Joy of Painting. More than 400 half-hour episodes aired on PBS (and eventually the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) from 1983 to 1994, the year before Ross died of cancer at age 52.<\/p>\n
Ross’ impact lives on: His show still airs on PBS and streams on platforms like Hulu and Twitch<\/a>. It has surged in popularity<\/a> in recent years, particularly as viewers searched for comfort during COVID-19 lockdowns. Certified instructors continue teaching his wet-on-wet oil painting technique to the masses<\/a>, and the Smithsonian acquired<\/a> several of his works for its permanent collection in 2019.<\/p>\n Now, the nonprofit syndicator American Public Television (APT) is auctioning off 30 of Ross’ paintings to raise money for public broadcasters hit by federal funding cuts. APT has pledged to direct 100% of its net sales proceeds to APT and PBS stations nationwide, auction house Bonhams said in a statement.<\/p>\n Bonhams is calling this the “largest single offering of Bob Ross original works ever brought to market.” Ross has become synonymous with public broadcasting \u2014 some activists have even invoked him<\/a> in their calls for restoring federal funding to it.<\/p>\n “Bob Ross dedicated his life to making art accessible to everyone through public television,” said Joan Kowalski, president of Bob Ross, Inc. “This auction ensures his legacy continues to support the very medium that brought his joy and creativity into American homes for decades.”<\/p>\n The first three paintings will be auctioned in Los Angeles on Nov. 11<\/a>. The rest will be sold throughout 2026 at Bonham’s salerooms in Los Angeles, New York and Boston.<\/p>\n \n Winter’s Peace, which Bob Ross painted on-air in 1993, is among his first three works going up for auction in November. He used especially vibrant colors with his TV audience in mind.<\/p>\n LA-CH\/Bonhams<\/p>\n hide caption\n <\/p>\n toggle caption<\/p>\n LA-CH\/Bonhams<\/p>\n How the offering could benefit public broadcasters\u00a0 <\/p>\n At President Trump’s direction, Congress voted in July to claw back $1.1 billion<\/a> in previously allocated funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), leaving the country’s roughly 330 PBS and 244 NPR stations in a precarious position.<\/p>\n CPB began shutting down<\/a> at the end of September, PBS has already cut 15%<\/a> of its jobs, and several local TV and radio stations<\/a> have also announced layoffs and closures.<\/p>\n The Ross auction aims to help stations pay their licensing fees to the national TV channel Create<\/a>, which in turn allows them to air popular public television programs including The Best of the Joy of Painting (based on Ross’ show), America’s Test Kitchen, Rick Steve’s Europe and Julia Child’s French Chef Classics.<\/p>\n Bonhams says the auction proceeds will help stations \u2014 particularly smaller and rural ones \u2014 defray the cost burden of licensing fees, making Create available to more of them.<\/p>\n “This enables stations to maintain their educational programming while redirecting funds toward other critical operations and local content production threatened by federal funding cuts,” the auction house says.<\/p>\n \n Demonstrators dressed as Bob Ross at a Chicago protest calling for the restoration of federal funding to PBS in late September.<\/p>\n Scott Olson\/Getty Images<\/p>\n hide caption\n <\/p>\n toggle caption<\/p>\n Scott Olson\/Getty Images<\/p>\n Ross’ paintings rarely hit the market <\/p>\n The 30 paintings going up for sale span Ross’ career and are all “previously unseen by the public except during their creation in individual episodes” of The Joy of Painting, according to Bonhams. Many have remained in secure storage ever since.<\/p>\n They include vibrant landscapes, with the serene mountains, lake views and “happy trees” that became his trademark.<\/p>\n Ross started painting during his 20-year career in the Air Force, much of which was spent in Alaska. That experience shaped his penchant for landscapes and ability to work quickly \u2014 and, he later said<\/a>, his desire not to raise his voice once out of the service.<\/p>\n Once on the airwaves, Ross’ soft-spoken guidance and gentle demeanor won over millions of viewers. His advice applied to art as well as life: Mistakes are just “happy accidents,” talent is a “pursued interest,” and it’s important to “take a step back and look.”<\/p>\n \n Ross spent about 26 minutes painting Home in the Valley on live TV in October 1993. It’s been in storage ever since, and will go on sale in November.<\/p>\n LA-CH\/Bonhams<\/p>\n hide caption\n <\/p>\n toggle caption<\/p>\n LA-CH\/Bonhams<\/p>\n “Ross’ gentle teaching style and positive philosophy made him a cultural icon whose influence extends far beyond the art world,” Bonhams says.<\/p>\n While Ross was prolific, his paintings were intended for teaching instead of selling, and therefore rarely go on the market.<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2019\/10\/02\/2019-09-20-bobross-mshaw-final2_sq-2172d0feea805d9fd151c5d92665f9387ec7e909.jpg?s=100&c=85&f=jpeg\")
<\/a> <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
![\"View](\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4000x4000+1268+0\/resize\/100\/quality\/100\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F21%2F73%2F47485e99499989677b639d88d6ff%2Fgettyimages-2225639525.jpg\")
<\/a> <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2016\/08\/22\/bobearly1_sq-61b31dcda64d20a3bab6e873e0cb3690969a0e07.jpg?s=100&c=85&f=jpeg\")
<\/a> <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
![\"This](\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2023\/09\/19\/bob-ross-two_sq-c5b19791c7fd01437a8839f74bd265e70602af92.jpg?s=100&c=85&f=jpeg\")
<\/a> <\/p>\n