Bob Ross

Bob Ross is one of the world’s most beloved artists, known for idyllic, realist landscape paintings; he shared his techniques with millions of viewers through his television show “The Joy of Painting” (1982–1994). An educator who offered an unintimidating introduction to art, Ross painted more than 30,000 bucolic landscapes depicting mountain ranges, forests, beaches, and other traditional scenic views. While Ross rarely exhibited during his lifetime, posthumous exhibitions have been organized to honor his legacy, boosted in part by the migration of his painting series onto streaming services like YouTube. In 2020, the Museum MORE in the Netherlands mounted the first solo museum exhibition of Ross’s work, with 40 paintings on view. His works are in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.