Bob Ross Paintings Go to Auction to Raise Money for Public Broadcasting

Three more paintings by PBS icon Bob Ross will be auctioned at Bonham’s later this month, part of 30 such works being sold to raise money for struggling public broadcasting entity American Public Television (APT).

^ The three works will be on display at the “America: Making a Nation: Art, History and Heritage” auction in Marlborough, Massachusetts on January 27, with estimates as high as $155,000.

Last year, Bonhams was commissioned to sell 30 works by Ross. the joy of drawing The owner’s identity as a paintbrush-wielding artist with incredibly shapely hair has made him famous far beyond the confines of galleries and museums. The group’s high estimate at the time was $1.4 million, and subsequent auctions were also successful: In November, three of Roth’s works sold for a total of $662,000, including commission, and another later sold for more than $1 million at an auction organized by sharp-tongued comedian and TV news host John Oliver.

According to records The Art NewspaperThe upcoming “Us” auction will include three paintings Roth created while filming the series the joy of drawing For broadcast or other purposes. valley view (1990) was produced for Roth’s Volume 21 the joy of drawing Instructions, estimated to sell for $30,000 to $50,000. seasonal changes (1990), estimated at $40,000-$60,000, was produced for episode 11 of the show’s 20th season. and gurgling stream (1993), estimated to sell for between $25,000 and $45,000, was painted for the first episode of Season 30. Of the final work, Ross said on the air, “Let your imagination take you to any world you want to go.”

The sale of Roth’s work follows the Trump administration’s announcement last year that it would cut public broadcasting funding by $1.1 billion in fiscal 2027.