A happy circumstance: Bob Ross paintings sell for more than $600K to help public TV stations

"At the live auction at Bonhams in Los Angeles, a serene, snow vista called Winter's Peace that Ross painted entirely during a 1993 episode of The Joy of Painting went for $318,000 to a bidder on the phone. For a good cause and you get the painting, auctioneer Aaron Bastian said during the bidding. He invoked a common sentiment of Ross, who died in 1995, during a brief lull. Bob would remind you that this is your world, and you can do anything you want."

"Another painting done on a 1993 episode, a lush, green landscape called Home in the Valley, went for $229,100. A third, Cliffside, sold for $114,800. The final prices include a charge for the auction house added to the final bid known as the buyer's premium. The identities of the buyers weren't immediately revealed. Bids for all three paintings went well past pre-auction estimates of their value, which topped out around $50,000."

"All profits are pledged to stations that use content from distributor American Public Television. Ross, a public television staple in the 1980s and '90s, was known for his dome of hair and warm demeanor. The special sales seek to help stations in need of licensing fees that allow them to show popular programs that along with Ross' show include America's Test Kitchen, Julia Child's French Chef Classics, and This Old House. Small and rural stations are particularly challenged."

Three Bob Ross paintings sold at a Bonhams live auction in Los Angeles for a combined total exceeding $600,000. Winter's Peace fetched $318,000, Home in the Valley sold for $229,100, and Cliffside went for $114,800. Final prices included the auction house buyer's premium and buyers' identities were not immediately revealed. Bids exceeded pre-auction estimates that topped out around $50,000. These works are the first of 30 being sold to raise funds for stations that use content from American Public Television. The proceeds aim to help small and rural stations cover licensing fees for popular programs and preserve public TV access.

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