"It's So Easy?" Bob Ross Paintings to Be Auctioned... "Supporting Public Broadcasting in Crisis"

30 Bob Ross Paintings to Be Auctioned
Estimated Proceeds Up to 2 Billion Won
U.S. Public Broadcasting Faces Crisis After Loss of Government Funding

Original paintings by American artist Bob Ross, who gained worldwide popularity through the TV program "The Joy of Painting," are set to be auctioned. The proceeds will support American public broadcasting, which is currently facing a severe financial crisis and is at risk of closure.

On October 8 (local time), Yonhap News, citing NBC News and the Associated Press, reported that auction house Bonhams plans to auction 30 of Ross's paintings over several rounds. The first auction will be held on November 11 and will include three notable works, such as "Cliffside" and "Winter's Peace." Bonhams estimates the total auction proceeds to be between 850,000 and 1.4 million dollars (approximately 1.2 to 2 billion Korean won).

Ross was the host of "The Joy of Painting," which aired on PBS from 1983 to 1994, and he passed away from lymphoma in 1994. The program was also broadcast in South Korea on EBS, where he was affectionately called "Uncle Bob" and became famous for the catchphrase, "It's so easy."

Bob Ross. Provided by EBS

Joan Kowalski, CEO of Bob Ross Inc., stated, "Bob Ross was someone who made art accessible to everyone through public broadcasting," adding, "This auction is a meaningful action to preserve public art and carry on his legacy."

This auction is part of a campaign to support public broadcasting, following budget cuts implemented during the Trump administration. In May, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order to halt government support, claiming that National Public Radio (NPR) and Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) were providing biased coverage. As a result, public broadcasters have been forced to reduce programming, lay off staff, and conduct emergency fundraising efforts.

Adding to the crisis, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) recently announced it would cease operations after 58 years. The Associated Press reported that the CPB ended most of its operations with the close of the fiscal year on September 30, and a small transition team will handle remaining tasks through January of next year. These remaining duties include securing music copyrights, which are essential rights for public media.

The CPB stated, "Millions of Americans petitioned Congress to maintain federal funding, but ultimately, we faced the reality that continued operation was not feasible." This situation arose after the U.S. Congress cut 9 billion dollars (approximately 12.5 trillion Korean won) from the international aid and public broadcasting budget last month, eliminating the CPB's two-year budget of 1.1 billion dollars (about 1.5 trillion Korean won).

NPR expressed concern, stating, "The closure of the CPB will be a severe blow to all public media organizations and, more importantly, to the communities that rely on public broadcasting."