A canvas painted in front of television cameras forty years ago is about to make its German auction debut. Ketterer Kunst in Munich will offer Bob Ross's Mountain Splendor on 5 December 2026, with an estimate of €40,000 to €60,000. Ross made the picture live during season seven, episode eight of The Joy of Painting, and the house describes it as exceptionally well preserved after decades in storage. Ross habitually produced three versions of each composition, and the examples painted during filming are the ones collectors pursue most keenly.

The consignment is part of a charitable programme devised by Joan Kowalski, president of Bob Ross Inc., to raise money for American Public Television and the local stations it serves. The initiative follows the withdrawal of $9 billion in previously approved government funding for public broadcasting in the United States. The painting comes from American Public Television's own collection, having been donated by Bob Ross Inc., and it carries a written certificate of authenticity from Kowalski dated 22 September 2026.

Before the sale, the work will tour Ketterer Kunst's showrooms in Frankfurt, Cologne, Hamburg, Berlin and Munich from 8 November to 4 December. Ross retains a strong following in Germany, where his programme first aired in 2001 and where a dedicated German-language channel launched on Samsung TV Plus this year. The house's owner, Robert Ketterer, has called the lot a piece of television history that viewers can still watch being created today.

Ross paintings have already proved effective fundraisers for public television. At Bonhams Skinner in January, Change of Seasons from 1990 set the artist's public auction record at $787,900, more than thirteen times its high estimate, as part of an evening that raised about $1.3 million for the same cause. A further three canvases sold at Bonhams last November for a combined $600,000, and a benefit sale last year saw comedian John Oliver's Cabin at Sunset reach $1 million. The Munich sale extends that campaign to a new country and a new audience.