Three Paintings by Bob Ross Raise $600,000 at Auction for American Public Broadcasting

"On Tuesday, the first three ( of 30 total) original canvases by America television icon Bob Ross hit the auction block at Bonhams. The paintings sold for a total of $600,000. The proceeds from this and future sales of Ross's "happy little paintings" will benefit American Public Television, a nonprofit syndicator that has been impacted by President Trump's budget cuts."

"Home in the Valley and Winter's Peace were both painted on camera as part of Ross's long-running television show, "The Joy of Painting," a Public Broadcasting Service ( PBS) program that ran for 11 years, starting in 1983. (Ross died from lymphoma in 1995.) Cliffside was painted for the 20th volume of Ross's series of instructional painting manuals, also called The Joy of Painting. The book includes step-by-step directions and photos on how to paint 13 scenes, one of which was Cliffside."

"As reported in The New York Times when the sale was announced in early October, the idea came to Joan Kowalski, the president of Bob Ross Inc., when she learned that Bonhams had recently sold two early '90s Ross paintings from a private collection for well above their pre-sale estimates. In August, Lake Below Snow-Capped Peaks and Cloudy Sky sold for $114,800 and Lake Below Snow-Covered Mountains and Clear Sky sold for $95,750."

Bonhams auctioned the first three of 30 original Bob Ross canvases, which together fetched $600,000. The paintings—Cliffside (1990), Home in the Valley (1993), and Winter's Peace (1993)—were among the top lots in a California and Western art sale. Home in the Valley and Winter's Peace were painted on camera for The Joy of Painting, the PBS series that ran for 11 years, and Cliffside appeared in the 20th volume of Ross's instructional manuals. The three works exceeded their estimates, the remaining 27 paintings will be sold in 2026, and proceeds will benefit American Public Television.

Read at ARTnews.com