Bob Ross’s Cabin at Sunset (1987) is poised to break the artist’s auction record as it comes to market from comedian John Oliver’s collection via a GiveSmart online sale. At time of writing, the painting had received 57 bids, with the current top bid at $1.04 million. The sale will close on Monday, November 24th.
Over the past year, Ross’s paintings have attracted unprecedented market attention. The self-taught artist rose to fame in 1983 through his instructional public television show, “The Joy of Painting,” which he hosted from 1983 to 1994. On air, the artist walked viewers through his paintings, made with his signature “wet-on-wet” technique. On November 11th, his painting Winter’s Peace (1993) sold for $318,000 at Bonhams Los Angeles, setting the artist’s auction record.
Cabin at Sunset was created during the second episode of the 10th season of “The Joy of Painting.” Ross completed the painting in 26 minutes, rendering a small red roof log cabin surrounded by tall pines and distant mountains, all beneath a luminous horizon.
During the Bonhams sale earlier this month, two other Ross paintings achieved significant six-digit sales. Cliffside (1990) and Home in the Valley (1993) sold for $229,100 and $114,800, respectively. These paintings are part of a 30-lot sale organized by the Ross estate. The remaining 27 paintings will be auctioned at Bonhams in New York, Boston, and Los Angeles throughout 2026 in an effort to raise money for American Public Television, the non-profit organization that distributes “The Joy of Painting.”
The market for Ross’s paintings has experienced a steep incline over the last year. Snow-Capped Barn and Trees Behind a Post and Wire Fence (1990-91) sold for $69,300 at Eldred’s in July, setting a new auction record. That auction record only stood for one month, because Lake Below Snow-Capped Peaks and Cloudy Sky (ca. 1990–91) sold for $114,800 at Bonhams in August.
