Sales of Bob Ross' paintings are rarities, but funding cuts spur his estate to release more than two dozen. And yes, they feature happy little trees
Bob Ross put together more than 30,000 paintings over the course of his life, but very few people have ever had a chance to buy one. As public television faces a severe funding crisis, however, his estate is auctioning off 30 of the soft-spoken painter's works to help ease the financial burdens.
The first auction, which will feature three paintings, will be hosted by Bonhams in Los Angeles on Nov. 11. Additional auctions will follow in London, New York, Boston, and online. Profits will be distributed to stations that use content from distributor American Public Television.
“This auction ensures his legacy continues to support the very medium that brought his joy and creativity into American homes for decades," Joan Kowalski, president of Bob Ross Inc., told the Associated Press.
Congress has eliminated $1.1 billion allocated to public broadcasting, which has left roughly 330 PBS and 246 NPR stations scrambling for alternative funding sources. Many of those have been forced to make program cuts or lay off staff.
The sale of the Bob Ross paintings won't completely cover that gap, but it could make a dent.
Two years ago, a signed original painting from the first episode of his PBS show, “The Joy of Painting,” went up for sale with a not-so happy little price tag of $9.85 million.
That was an outlier, but underscored the demand. The people in charge of the Ross estate have shown little interest in selling any of his vast collection of paintings, opting instead to focus on the Bob Ross IP. Paintings are sometimes leased to galleries for exhibits.
There are definitely a lot of them, though. On his PBS show alone, he would do three versions of the painting he focused on each week on the show, which aired from 1983 through 1994. (Ross passed away in 1995 from Lymphoma.)
Join 500,000+ readers who start their day with Quartz.
By subscribing, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
