I'm actually impressed that they haven't cashed out on those paintings they hold; wonder how long they'll be able to hold on to cherishing memories before "maximizing profits" displaces them, and crushes any feeling of goodwill the public has towards the custodians of his legacy.
> “The paintings have always just sort of been here,” she says, with a chuckle. “We were sort of behind the times… it never occurred to us that anyone would want them.”
They've got stacks of his paintings piled up on the floor. Nothing in the article indicates that they cherish them or are curating them. I don't have a problem with that, but it's not like they're doing anyone any good where they are.
Bob Ross wanted to make painting approachable and demystify it. He started out selling them himself, sold them or gave them away throughout his career. He knew they weren't high art; that was kinda the point. I think he would want them sold off if having one brought joy to someone. Contrary to crushing feelings of goodwill, I think his fans would be grateful for the opportunity to have one of his paintings for themselves. They're not one-of-a-kind masterpieces that belong in a museum; they're paintings for the people.
It doesn't matter if others like it or pretend as if it is likeable; you made a painting and that's all that matters. It doesn't have to live up to standarts, it doesn't have to be appericated or notice in history. I think encouraging people to feel "this oily matter stuck on bursh is now making shapes I can interpret on canvas" is more than enough.
(I am super drunk and voliating like 3 or more curfew law things, super sorry for the murder of engrish, but I love Bob Ross)
Interesting to think a little about how Harberger taxes would fix this; no one can make the company treat the paintings better or do something more productive with them, because 'property is monopoly' - but if they had to pay a Harberger tax on the tens of millions of dollars those paintings were worth, they would probably discover that they can in fact do something better with them than stacking them randomly like lumber to get moldy in a warehouse or that people would happily take the paintings off their hands...
A publicly traded SpaceX would not be attempting to get to Mars.