When you think of artists whose paintings are worth millions, who comes to mind? Rembrandt? Da Vinci? Picasso? Perhaps Warhol? No doubt. But how about Bob Ross, the step-by-step artist of Public Television fame with the distinctive hair and mellow voice? That guy’s work is worth millions?!!
Apparently so.
Courtesy of Bob Ross Inc.
As the host of the beloved PBS show, “The Joy of Painting,” Ross (1942-1995) is probably better known as a TV personality than an artist. The Modern Artifact gallery in Minneapolis may change that. Specializing in contemporary artists, the gallery has bought and sold Bob Ross paintings for years. Now they are offering Ross’s painting “A Walk in the Woods” for $9,850,000.
It turns out the piece was painted for the first episode of The Joy of Painting, airing in 1983. Gallery owner Ryan Nelson calls it “the rookie card of Bob Ross.”
Courtesy Modern Artifacts
Thanks to 403 episodes of “The Joy of Painting,” Ross became a household name as the painting teacher to the masses while creating a new painting for each show. And although “The Joy of Painting” ended in 1994, Ross’s star power continues to ascend. Twenty-eight years after his death, the painter who gave us “happy little trees” is more ubiquitous than ever. His show is now available on multiple streaming services, and there is a Bob Ross channel with 5.6 million subscribers tuning into full episodes on YouTube.
Ross guided the viewers through the painting process, from selecting materials all the way to signing the finished work. He taught painting techniques, composition, perspective, and light and shade. He encouraged viewers to find beauty in nature. Most of all, he taught exactly what the show promised to deliver: the joy of painting. Ross made painting accessible and enjoyable. “Anybody can paint,” he told his audience. “All you need is a dream in your heart and a little practice.”
No matter what the painting eventually sells for, these lessons, and the joy viewers continue to get from them, are priceless.
You May Also Like:
Wyeth Painting Bought for $4 at Thrift Shop Sells for $191,000
Painting Hidden Behind Door Really a Masterpiece Worth $845,000
English
العربية
Nederlands
Français
Deutsch
Italiano
日本語
한국어
Русский
Español
Svenska
Türkçe
اردو
Tiếng Việt