A happy circumstance: Bob Ross paintings sell for more than $600K to
help public TV stations
[November 12, 2025]
By ANDREW DALTON
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Three paintings from famously chill public television
legend Bob Ross sold Tuesday for more than $600,000 at auction. The
paintings were the first of 30 Ross works being sold to benefit public
TV stations hurt by cuts in federal funding.
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.
Three more Ross paintings will be up for auction at Bonhams in
Marlborough, Massachusetts, on Jan. 27, with others to follow in New
York and London.
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.
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In this undated photo provided by Bob Ross Inc., Bob Ross poses for
a photo in front of one of his paintings. (Bob Ross Inc. via AP)
 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.
The stations “have been the gateway for generations
of viewers to discover not just Bob’s gentle teaching, but the
transformative power of the arts,” Joan Kowalski, president of Bob
Ross Inc., said in a statement.
As sought by the Trump Administration, Congress has eliminated $1.1
billion allocated to public broadcasting, leaving about 330 PBS and
246 NPR stations.
Ross died at age 52 of complications from cancer after 11 years in
production with the therapeutic how-to show, “The Joy of Painting.”
The former Air Force drill sergeant was a sort of pioneer, known for
his calm — and calming — manner and encouraging words.
Ross spoke often as he worked on air about painting happy little
clouds and trees, and making no mistakes, only “happy accidents.”
He has only became more popular in the decades since his death, and
his shows saw a surge in popularity during the lockdowns of the
COVID-19 pandemic.
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