30 Bob Ross paintings to be auctioned to support public television: NPR

Dozens of Bob Ross paintings — many of which were created live on the PBS series that made him a household name — will be auctioned in the coming months to support public television.

Ross, with his distinctive, soothing Afro voice and sunny gaze, has enabled millions of viewers to create and appreciate art through his show. The joy of painting. More than 400 half-hour episodes were broadcast on PBS (and eventually the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) from 1983 to 1994, the year before Ross died of cancer at age 52.

Ross’s impact endures: his show still airs on PBS and streams on platforms like Hulu and Twitch. It has gained popularity in recent years, particularly as viewers sought comfort during COVID-19 lockdowns. Certified instructors continue to teach his wet-on-wet oil painting technique to the general public, and the Smithsonian acquired several of his works for its permanent collection in 2019.

Today, the nonprofit American Public Television (APT) is auctioning off 30 Ross paintings to raise money for public broadcasters hit by federal budget cuts. APT has committed to donating 100% of net sales proceeds to APT and PBS stations nationwide, auction house Bonhams said in a statement.

Bonhams calls this “the largest single offering of original Bob Ross works ever to come to market.” Ross has become synonymous with public broadcasting – some activists have even invoked him in their calls to restore federal funding.

“Bob Ross dedicated his life to making art accessible to all through public television,” said Joan Kowalski, president of Bob Ross, Inc. “This auction ensures that his legacy continues to support the very medium that brought joy and creativity into American homes for decades.”

The first three paintings will be auctioned in Los Angeles on November 11. The others will be sold throughout 2026 at Bonham salesrooms in Los Angeles, New York and Boston.

How this offer could benefit public broadcasters

At the urging of President Trump, Congress voted in July to claw back $1.1 billion in funding previously allocated to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), leaving the nation’s approximately 330 PBS and 244 NPR stations in a precarious position.

CPB began closing its doors in late September, PBS has already cut 15% of its jobs, and several local television and radio stations have also announced layoffs and closures.

The Ross auction aims to help channels pay their license fees to national broadcaster Create, which allows them to broadcast popular public television programs, including The best pleasure of painting (based on Ross’ show), America’s Test Kitchen, Rick Steve’s Europe and Julia Child French chef classics.

Bonhams says auction proceeds will help stations – particularly smaller and rural ones – shoulder the burden of licensing fees, making Create accessible to more of them.

“This allows stations to maintain their educational programming while redirecting funds to other critical operations and local content production threatened by federal budget cuts,” the auction house explains.

Ross paintings rarely come to market

The 30 paintings up for sale span Ross’s career and are all “unpublished by the public except when created in individual episodes” of The joy of painting, according to Bonhams. Many have since remained in secure storage.

They include vibrant landscapes, with serene mountains, lake views and “happy trees” that have become his trademark.

Ross began painting during his 20-year Air Force career, much of which was in Alaska. This experience shaped his penchant for landscapes and his ability to work quickly – and, he later said, his desire not to raise his voice once he left the service.

Once on the airwaves, Ross’ gentle advice and gentle demeanor won over millions of viewers. His advice applies to art as it does to life: mistakes are just “happy accidents,” talent is a “pursued interest,” and it’s important to “step back and look.”

“Ross’s gentle teaching style and positive philosophy have made him a cultural icon whose influence extends far beyond the art world,” says Bonhams.

Although Ross was prolific, his paintings were intended for teaching rather than sale and therefore rarely came to market.

In August, Bonhams sold two Ross mountain and lake scenes from the early 1990s in an online American art auction. They reached $114,800 and $95,750, beating expectations and setting a new world auction record for Ross – at least for now.

“With its market continuing to climb, profits benefiting U.S. public television and many paintings created live – a major draw for collectors – we expect spirited bidding and results that could surpass previous records,” Robin Starr, chief executive of its Bonhams Skinner subsidiary, told NPR in a statement.

Bonhams estimates that the next 30 paintings could cost between $850,000 and $1.4 million in total.

Disclosure: This story was edited by Managing Editor Carol Ritchie and Managing Editor Vickie Walton-James. In keeping with NPR’s protocol for reporting on itself, no company official or NPR news officer reviewed this story before it was publicly released.