Three paintings by Bob Ross sold for more than $600,000 on Monday at a Los Angeles charity auction to help support struggling public television after government funding cuts.
Earlier this year, as the Trump administration and Congress withdrew more than $1 billion in government support, PBS, a national public broadcaster, offered the beloved artist’s landscapes at a fundraiser.
“We are extremely excited about the results of this auction, which exceeded our expectations,” Jim Dunford, president and CEO of PBS, said in a release. “These funds will help local stations continue to serve their communities with impactful programming. We are grateful to Bob Ross, Inc. for highlighting the need to support public media during this critical time.”
Roth’s work is legendary because of his rapid-fire brushstrokes and cheerful conversation with television viewers on the beloved public television program “The Joy of Painting,” which ran from 1983 to 1994, the year before his death.
The auction was held at the Los Angeles offices of international auction house Bonhams, but most bidders did not attend in person but bid by phone and online.
Auctioneer Aaron Bastian received bids for Bob Ross’s 1993 painting “Home in the Valley.”
(Sandra McDonald/Los Angeles Times)
The frameless paintings sit on an easel in a corner of the room, reminiscent of Roth’s humble television studio.
As the bidding began, the gavel was banged at each auction, and the venue erupted in applause. Each painting’s auction lasts only a few minutes, and excitement builds as prices soar.
“Bob will remind you that this is your world and you can do whatever you want,” auctioneer Aaron Bastian said during the sale, laughing at Rose’s easy-going demeanor while bidders considered pushing the price even further.
“Cliffside,” 1990 by Bob Ross, is one of three paintings up for auction.
(Bonhams)
Others filed in, taking out their phones to record, curious to see how high the bids could go. Bonhams said in a press release that more than 350 bidders participated in the auction.
In the 1990s, Ross painted an entire canvas without cuts in less than 30 minutes (the running time of his public television show), and his show is still known for its calm demeanor and inspiring guidance.
“Anyone can draw. All you need is a dream in your mind and a little practice,” Ross said on his show.
The three paintings sold were “Cliffside”, “Valley House” and “Winter Peace”. All three have Rose’s thin red signature in the lower left corner. Prior to the charity auction, no work had previously been valued at more than $50,000.
“Cliffside” is a work included in Volume 20 of Roth’s 1990 painting instruction book, which was titled after the exhibition. According to the auction footnotes, Roth spent longer than usual on these instructional paintings because he knew people would study them years later. It sold to loud applause for $90,000 – $114,800 after the auctioneer’s commission.
“Home in the Valley” is from a 1993 episode of “The Joy of Painting” and lasts about 26 minutes. It sold for $180,000, or $229,100 after the auctioneer’s commission.
“Winter Peace” is a snowy scene with a cabin and several of Roth’s famous “happy little trees”, which was also painted in 1993. It sold for $250,000, or $318,000 after the auctioneer’s commission. It was more than twice the Ross auction record.
“Winter’s Peace” by Bob Ross from 1993 is also included in the sale.
(Bonhams)
“Of particular note are the rich, vivid colors, especially in the sky. This was a deliberate adjustment that Bob often made when painting for television, to make the tones particularly attractive to viewers at home,” says a footnote on the auction website.
Deborah Fox, a Washington state artist and art collector, said it was a bit of a mismatch to place Rose’s work alongside the exquisite works of Frank Coburn and Granville Redmond, both classic and celebrated California Impressionists whose works often sold for tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars.
After the auction, she called the results “exciting.” “It was more about donating to charity and getting something personal from it,” said Fox, who did not bid but attended the auction in person to sell one of her own collectibles.
Fox calls art a personal endeavor, sometimes caring less about a painting’s actual value and more about it and how the painter speaks to buyers. She said Roth’s exhibition, and the cause of supporting public media during a time of political turmoil, were more important to those bidding than the expected value of the work.
“They didn’t see Bob Ross, they didn’t see that tacky scenery,” Fox said. “They’re learning how it makes them feel.”
Monday’s auction featured the first three of 30 works sold to support public broadcasting. The next auction is scheduled for January 27 at Bonhams Skinner, Massachusetts.
