PBS
It’s hard to imagine Bob Ross knew he was going to become a pop culture icon when the first episode of The Joy of Painting aired on a public television channel in Virginia on January 11, 1983, and it’s safe to assume he’d be very surprised to learn how much the piece he completed during the premiere would be selling for 40 years later.
Ross hoped to use The Joy of Painting to encourage people who might be intimidated by that particular hobby to give it a shot, and he inspired plenty of people to pick up a palette to attempt to recreate the landscapes defined by the signature “happy little” trees, clouds, and rivers he had a tendency to throw on the canvas over the course of the half-hour program.
However, you don’t need to have an interest in painting to appreciate the essence of Bob Ross, as he exuded a soothing aura that managed to radiate through the screen whenever he used the brushes and knives at his disposal to whip up a new creation.
The fact that Ross was able to whip up a painting in 30 minutes and wasn’t exactly employing revolutionary techniques meant he was never really considered a Serious Artist (and he would’ve probably been the first person to admit he was never trying to be).
With that said, the first piece he ever completed on The Joy of Painting is selling for the kind of price typically reserved for people who’ve earned that label.
The painting in question is titled A Walk in the Woods, which exemplified the style Ross would repeatedly showcase in the more than 400 episodes that were filmed following the pilot.
According to NPR, the painting was originally purchased by a PBS volunteer who is believed to have paid less than $100 for it, and it’s apparently worth much more than that now when you consider an art gallery in Minneapolis., Minnesota is currently trying to sell it for $9.85 million.
The outlet notes Ross estimated he completed more than 30,000 paintings over the course of a life that was cut short when he passed away from lymphoma in 1995 at the age of 52, but a representative for the gallery believes the historical significance of A Walk in the Woods justifies the hefty price tag.
I guess we’ll just have to wait and see if any potential buyers agree.