Chantilly, Va. – October 29, 2026 -- Ketterer Kunst will offer its first original Bob Ross painting in Germany, "Mountain Splendor" (1986), at an estimate of €40,000–60,000 on December 5, 2026, in Munich. American Public Television (APT), the seller, has pledged 100% of net proceeds to public television stations across the United States.
Bob Ross auction series has raised more than $2.4 million in net proceeds
The Munich lot belongs to a series conceived by Joan Kowalski, President of Bob Ross Inc. The series launched in November 2025 after a federal rescission pulled funding from U.S. public television stations. Bob Ross Inc. donated thirty original paintings to APT, which is selling them in groups over multiple years.
Thirteen paintings have sold across four Bonhams auctions in Los Angeles, Boston, New York and online. Net proceeds so far exceed $2.4 million.
Ketterer Kunst places the 45.6 x 60.7 cm oil on canvas in its Modern & Contemporary Art Day Sale
Ross painted "Mountain Splendor" live on camera for Season 7, Episode 8 of The Joy of Painting. The work went into storage right after it was painted and stayed unsold and untouched for decades. The source says this preserved its color saturation and surface integrity.
Ketterer Kunst says it has been the leading art auction house in the German-speaking world for eight consecutive years. Its December 4–5 Munich sale also features works by Peter Doig, Pierre Soulages and Alexander Calder.
Owner and auctioneer Robert Ketterer said Ross brings "a different kind of star power" to the sale, citing his devoted following in Germany.
Germany ranks among Ross's strongest international audiences
The Joy of Painting first aired in Germany in 2001 on BR-alpha, now ARD alpha, and has aired there ever since. It also runs on Sky Deutschland, and The Bob Ross Channel launched on Samsung TV Plus in Germany in 2026. The country has more than one hundred Certified Ross Instructors, one of the largest networks outside the United States.
Kowalski said the show has aired in Germany for 25 years and that the following there is devoted. She described returning proceeds to the public television that gave Ross his start as a "full circle moment."
Ketterer Kunst schedules five-city preview tour before the Munich sale
Previews run in Frankfurt on November 8–10, Cologne on November 12–15, Hamburg on November 17–18 and Berlin on November 20–27. The tour ends in Munich from November 29 to December 4.