Bob Ross Paintings to Hit auction Block, Proceeds to Benefit Public Television
NEW YORK – thirty original paintings by beloved artist and television host Bob Ross will be auctioned by Bonhams on November 11th, with all proceeds benefiting the Create channel, a public television network. The auction, conceived by Bob Ross Inc. President Kowalski, represents the largest single offering of Ross’s original artwork ever presented for sale.
The fundraising effort comes at a critical time for public broadcasting. This year, Congress cut $1.1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s budget, impacting funding for NPR and PBS stations nationwide, with over 576 stations now seeking alternative funding sources.
“I can’t think of a more meaningful way to share your art than by supporting the educational and inspirational mission of public television,” Kowalski stated.
Ross, who died in 1995 at the age of 52, achieved international fame through his programme, The joy of Painting, which aired from 1983 to 1994. The show featured Ross creating oil landscapes live, known for his calming demeanor, signature afro, and encouraging ideology of “happy accidents.”
The paintings up for auction span Ross’s career and showcase the serene mountain and lake landscapes he created during individual episodes of the program. while often overlooked by art history and the elitist art market, Ross’s work has become a important part of pop culture, inspiring countless individuals to take up painting and appearing in numerous memes, television shows (including Family Guy and The Blacklist), and films (like Ralph Breaks the Internet).
The Create channel, which will receive the auction funds, launched in 2006 and is a collaborative effort between American Public Television, WGBH Boston, and The WNET Group. It offers a variety of educational and lifestyle programming,including reruns of the Best of The Joy of Painting.