Bob Ross is an American icon. In the 1980s and early ’90s, he hosted a TV show called The Joy of Painting. In each episode, he casually narrates while painting a landscape using simple techniques. The artist died in 1995, but he is still a household name today. References to Ross often appear in TV shows and memes.
Ross completed more than 1,000 paintings for his show. But few of his artworks have been seen since. What happened to them? It turns out the paintings currently reside in a warehouse outside of Washington, D.C.—stacked on top of one another in cardboard boxes.
Early in Ross’s career, he became business partners with his friends Annette and Walt Kowalski. After Ross and his wife passed away, the Kowalskis inherited his life's work and his company, Bob Ross Inc. Today Bob Ross Inc. continues to manage Ross’s name, image, and other intellectual property—including his paintings. But some fans have raised concerns about how the company is storing Ross’s art.
In total, Ross’s paintings are estimated to be worth millions of dollars. Usually, such valuable artworks would be stored in a climate-controlled space. Changes in heat and humidity can cause paint to crack, discolor, and peel off a canvas. Paintings are also typically stored upright so their surfaces don’t stick together.
Some historians worry that Bob Ross Inc. isn’t equipped to properly care for the paintings. They argue that unless appropriate conservation measures are taken, Ross’s works are at risk of being damaged. However, Bob Ross Inc. legally owns the paintings, and so the company gets to decide how to care for them.
What do you think? Who should be responsible for maintaining an artist's body of work after the artist dies?