Original artwork from painter and TV host Bob Ross will be auctioned off to help support public television stations after funding was cut by the Trump administration.
The auction house Bonhams said in a statement that 30 of Ross’ paintings will be sold at different auctions.
The first auction is set Nov. 11 as part of their California and Western Art sale. Three of Ross’ pieces will be included: Cliffside, painted in 1990; Winter’s Peace, painted in 1993; and Home in the Valley, painted in 1993.
Ross’ signature is on the lower left side of all three paintings.
“Bob Ross dedicated his life to making art accessible to everyone through public television. This auction ensures his legacy continues to support the very medium that brought his joy and creativity into American homes for decades,” Joan Kowalski, president of Bob Ross Inc., said in a statement.
The auctions of the 30 paintings have an estimated total value of $850,000 to $1.4 million, Bonhams said.
In May, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to end public funding of National Public Radio and PBS to stop what he called “biased and partisan news coverage.”
The White House previously said in a statement that the organizations received “tens of millions of dollars” in taxpayers’ dollars to spread “radical, woke propaganda disguised as ‘news.'”
Under the order, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting was directed to cease funding to NPR and PBS to the extent allowed by law.
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