Thirty paintings created by the bushy-haired, soft-spoken Bob Ross will soon be up for auction to defray the costs of programming for public US television stations suffering from cuts in federal funding.
Ross, a public television stalwart in the 1980s and ’90s, “dedicated his life to making art accessible to everyone”, 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.”
Bonhams in Los Angeles will auction three of Ross’ paintings on November 11. Other auctions will follow in London, New York, Boston and online. All profits are pledged to stations that use content from distributor American Public Television.
The idea is to help stations in need with licensing fees that allow them to show popular programs that include The Best of Joy of Painting, based on Ross’ show, America’s Test Kitchen, Julia Child’s French Chef Classics and This Old House. Small and rural stations are particularly challenged.
As desired by President Donald Trump, Congress has eliminated US$1.1 billion (NZ$1.9 billion) allocated to public broadcasting, leaving about 330 PBS and 246 NPR stations to find alternative funding sources. Many launched emergency fund drives. Some have been forced to lay off staff and make programming cuts.
The beloved Ross died in 1995 of complications from cancer after 11 years in production with The Joy of Painting. His how-to programme was shown on stations around the US and around the world. The former Air Force drill sergeant known for his calm demeanour and encouraging words enjoyed a resurgence in popularity during the lockdowns of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Ross spoke often as he worked on air about painting happy little clouds and trees, and making no mistakes, only “happy accidents”.
The 30 paintings to be auctioned spanned Ross’ career and included landscapes depicting serene mountain vistas and lake scenes, his signature aesthetic. He created most of the 30 on-air, each in under 30 minutes, which was the length of a single episode.
Bonhams sold two early 1990s mountain-and-lake scenes of Ross in August for US$114,800 (NZ$199,758) and US$95,750 (NZ$166,610). The auctions of the 30 paintings soon to be sold have an estimated total value of US$850,000 (NZ$1.4 million) to $1.4 million (NZ$2.4 billion), Bonhams said.
