Original artwork by painter Bob Ross will soon head to auction in an effort to raise money for public television stations. The fundraising mission comes after the Trump administration cut funding.
The well-known oil landscape painter is known for features like happy little trees and mountains. Now, Bonhams auction house will auction off 30 of Ross’ original works beginning Nov. 11 in Los Angeles.
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The first auction will feature three pieces: “Cliffside,” painted in 1990; “Winter’s Peace,” painted in 1993; and “Home in the Valley,” also painted in 1993.
There are also additional sales planned in New York, London, Boston and online.
The pieces have an estimated total value of $850,000 to $1.4 million, according to Bonhams. All proceeds will go to public stations that air programs from American public television, including the best of Ross’s show, “The Joy of Painting.”
Ross hosted the show from 1983 to 1994, a year before he died. During that time, Ross introduced painting to millions around the U.S. and the world.
Ross was a former Air Force drill sergeant known for his calm demeanor and encouragement. His popularity had a resurgence during the 2020 pandemic lockdowns, NBC reported.
Trump administration cuts funding
The auction comes after President Donald Trump signed an executive order in May to end public funding of National Public Radio and PBS. He said the effort was to stop “biased and partisan news coverage.”
The order eliminated approximately $1.1 billion in allocated funds. The move left about 330 PBS and 246 NPR stations searching for alternative funding sources, according to the Associated Press. It reported that some stations launched emergency fund drives, while others had to cut programs and lay off employees.
Last week, NPR shared a post to social media marking the first day without federal funding. The post featured an image saying, “WE WON’T BE SILENCED.”
The post read, in part, “With your help, we’ll continue to bring you honest, rigorous journalism that doesn’t bend to the interests of shareholders. We’ll still hold a microphone to American voices that might otherwise go unheard. And we’ll always stand behind our First Amendment right to a free press. “
