Bob Ross Painting Is for Sale at an Eye-Popping Price

Bob Ross

During Bob Ross' lifetime, he claimed he painted over 30,000 paintings—but despite that, very few are ever for sale. Now, fans of the late artist have an opportunity to get their hands on the piece of art he created in the first episode of his show The Joy of Painting, but it will cost a pretty penny.

The painting, A Walk in the Woods, is listed at $9.85 million by the Minneapolis-based gallery Modern Artifact. The piece is signed by Ross in the corner and includes a certificate of authenticity from Bob Ross, Inc. A statement is also included from the first owner, a PBS volunteer who was reportedly present when it was painted.

According to the listing, A Walk in the Woods "is the most historically significant Bob Ross original painting ever created. It is exceedingly rare to find any Bob Ross episode pieces, and this is a one-of-a-kind opportunity to own the very first one."

NPR shared a video discussing the listing, explaining why it is so difficult to get your hands on a Ross painting. While the late painter created many art pieces during his show, they went to his company after Ross died. And in 2019, Bob Ross Inc. told The New York Times that they did not intend to sell them. Since then, they have passed on a few of Ross' pieces to the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, as reported by NPR.

Ryan Nelson, the owner of Modern Artifact, said of the original price of the painting, which was bought at a benefit auction: "I don't know the exact number that she paid at that point, but knowing what others paid around the same period, I'd assume it was somewhere under $100."

"I think that the greatest thing we can do with it is travel it. I'd rather we get this in front of the public. But there are definitely offers that I would probably have to take," Nelson continued, noting that he'd love to see it in a museum.

NPR noted that other Ross paintings sold after his death had a price in the five-figure range, but Nelson stated that he's willing to wait to achieve his asking price.

Fans of Ross responded to the news on social media, with one writing, "If the owner of the painting wants to see it in a museum, why not donate it to a museum? ??."

"There should be a museum with all these paintings in it. As Bob would’ve wanted," said another.

Many also referenced the Ross documentary, Bob Ross: Happy Accidents, Betrayal & Greed, which went into detail about the dispute between the owners of Bob Ross, Inc., the Kowalskis, and Ross' remaining family.

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