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John Oliver Auction Nets $1.54 Million as Bob Ross Canvas Sets Record

Proceeds flow to a bridge fund created to stabilize local public broadcasters after a $1.1 billion CPB cut.

Overview

  • The online sale closed with Ross’s 1986 'Cabin at Sunset' fetching about $1,044,000 after 35 bids, a new auction record for the artist.
  • 'John Oliver’s Junk' offered 65 lots benefiting the Public Media Bridge Fund, with the Ross painting providing the majority of the total raised.
  • Top non-art lots included a viewer photo placement at $100,025, a meet-and-greet trip at $51,600, Russell Crowe’s 'Cinderella Man' jockstrap at $21,000, and an LBJ sculpture at $25,500.
  • American Public Television’s separate program with Bonhams sold three Ross works earlier in November for a combined $662,000 as part of a year-long, 30-painting effort to aid stations.
  • The fundraising push follows the Trump administration and Congress eliminating $1.1 billion from CPB, a loss that programs say threatens especially rural outlets.