Bob was especially eager to explore ways to impart his sweet persona with even non-painters too-especially children-through collectibles, toys, and knickknacks.”īob Ross is no longer here to speak for himself, but Rofé is reluctant to give BRI credit. “BRI’s hope is that items bearing Bob’s likeness and messages prompt smiles as they remind people of the love of painting Bob shared with all. “All of the products and merchandise seen today are just another way to share Bob’s message of positivity with people around the world,” the company said in its statement. “I find that to be quite devastating, emotionally.” He contends that there was unrest as Bob’s illness worsened, which is why he wanted the film to “trace the steps of the end of Bob’s life.” “It was heartbreaking to think of this man, who was sick, dying from cancer, weighing 90 pounds, had to somehow muster the energy to have business disagreements while he was verging on entering hospice,” Rofé says. But the question that Steve Ross struggles with is how they arrived at that place.” “Legally, the Kowalskis are absolutely the rights holders to the Bob Ross name.
#Artrage bob ross movie
“The disagreement at the core of the movie is not necessarily a legal one. Rofé said his film is more about exploring the ramifications of what happened, and how it runs counter to the feel-good philosophy Ross expounded during his life. Nothing-not even a documentary, or a massive sway in public opinion-is going to change that outcome. There are no further options for additional appeals going forward.” in 2017 by RSR Art LLC, a company part-owned by Bob’s son, Steve.”Īfter noting that those claims were dismissed by a judge in 2019, BRI said Steve’s company “then filed an appeal, which was dismissed at RSR Art’s request after the parties reached a settlement through a court-ordered mediation process. “Again, without seeing the film, it seems that these accusations attempt to relitigate claims brought against Bob Ross Inc. “Bob Ross may not have shared the inherent structural features of his corporation, which are very common in small private companies, with family and friends, which may have resulted in the hurt feelings and accusations that we understand are portrayed in the film,” the company said in its statement. Although the Kowalskis and BRI did not participate in the film, they released this as part of a statement to Vanity Fair: “If not for the efforts of the remaining founders and their dedication to this mission, Bob’s artistic and cultural relevance-and his expressed desire to become the world’s most beloved painting teacher and friend-would have been lost decades ago with his passing.”īRI contends that the doc is an effort to dredge up old grievances. An unanswerable question hanging over the movie is whether Bob Ross would have been “Bob Ross” if not for the Kowalskis’ management and business acumen. Also enduring since his death: legal wrangling, accusations of bad behavior and disrespect, and anger and resentment between the surviving parties.Įxploitation is a heavy word it’s not clear that’s an accurate description of what happened. Ross’s decade-plus of PBS shows had already made him a guru to countless viewers who followed his lead to become amateur artists, and the sale of pop-culture merch, as well as painting products bearing his name and distinctive likeness, continue to generate a fortune today. The documentary, which hits Netflix on Wednesday, chronicles the bitter dispute that erupted between Ross’s son, friends, and business partners after Ross died from cancer at 52. The troubling parts happened mostly after he was gone. A new Netflix documentary about him-with an ominous title and even more disturbing trailer-has roused alarm among the Ross faithful that it will expose some horrific behavior that forever ruins those fond memories.īut while Bob Ross: Happy Accidents, Betrayal & Greed does reveal some ordinary human flaws of the Joy of Painting star, Ross himself emerges largely intact as the gentle, kindhearted soul his admirers already know. Bob Ross, the television painter known for his dandelion-fuzz hair and pizza-delivery approach to knocking out a landscape (30 minutes or less!) is still beloved, 26 years after his death, for the soothing way he dabbed what he called “happy little” trees and clouds onto his canvases.
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