The late Bob Ross encouraged millions of Americans to make and appreciate art through his show The Joy of Painting, which has aired on PBS stations since 1983.
Dozens of Bob Ross paintings — many of them created live on the PBS series that made him a household name — will be auctioned off in the coming months to support public television.
Ross, with his distinctive afro, soothing voice and sunny outlook, empowered millions of viewers to make and appreciate art through his show The Joy of Painting. More than 400 half-hour episodes aired on PBS (and eventually the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) from 1983 to 1994, the year before Ross died of cancer at age 52.
Ross' impact lives on: His show still airs on PBS and streams on platforms like Hulu and Twitch. It has surged in popularity in recent years, particularly as viewers searched for comfort during COVID-19 lockdowns. Certified instructors continue teaching his wet-on-wet oil painting technique to the masses, and the Smithsonian acquired several of his works for its permanent collection in 2019.
Now, the nonprofit syndicator American Public Television (APT) is auctioning off 30 of Ross' paintings to raise money for public broadcasters hit by federal funding cuts. APT has pledged to direct 100% of its net sales proceeds to APT and PBS stations nationwide, auction house Bonhams said in a statement.
Bonhams is calling this the "largest single offering of Bob Ross original works ever brought to market." Ross has become synonymous with public broadcasting — some activists have even invoked him in their calls for restoring federal funding to it.
"Bob Ross dedicated his life to making art accessible to everyone through public television," said Joan Kowalski, president of Bob Ross, Inc. "This auction ensures his legacy continues to support the very medium that brought his joy and creativity into American homes for decades."
The first three paintings will be auctioned in Los Angeles on Nov. 11. The rest will be sold throughout 2026 at Bonham's salerooms in Los Angeles, New York and Boston.
LA-CH/Bonhams
How the offering could benefit public broadcasters
At President Trump's direction, Congress voted in July to claw back $1.1 billion in previously allocated funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), leaving the country's roughly 330 PBS and 244 NPR stations in a precarious position.CPB began shutting down at the end of September, PBS has already cut 15% of its jobs, and several local TV and radio stations have also announced layoffs and closures.
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