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Overcoming Optimism - Signed Print by Harland Miller 2014 - MyArtBroker

Overcoming Optimism
Signed Print

Harland Miller

£4,850-£7,500Value Indicator

$10,000-$15,000 Value Indicator

$9,000-$14,000 Value Indicator

¥45,000-¥70,000 Value Indicator

€5,500-€8,500 Value Indicator

$50,000-$80,000 Value Indicator

¥960,000-¥1,490,000 Value Indicator

$6,500-$10,000 Value Indicator

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138 x 110cm, Edition of 50, Screenprint

Medium: Screenprint

Edition size: 50

Year: 2014

Size: H 138cm x W 110cm

Signed: Yes

Format: Signed Print

Last Auction: October 2022

Value Trend:

-11% AAGR

AAGR (5 years) This estimate blends recent public auction records with our own private sale data and network demand.

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Auction Results

Auction Date
Auction House
Location
Return to Seller
Hammer Price
Buyer Paid
October 2022
Phillips New York
United States
£6,774
£7,969
£10,041
September 2022
Christie's London
United Kingdom
June 2020
Bonhams Knightsbridge
United Kingdom
January 2018
Phillips London
United Kingdom
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Track auction value trend

The value of Harland Miller’s Overcoming Optimism (signed) is estimated to be worth between £4,850 and £7,500. This screenprint, created in 2014, has shown a consistent value growth with an average annual growth rate of 6%. This work has an auction history of four sales since its entry to the market in January 2018. The hammer price over the past 12 months has ranged from £7,969 in October 2022 to £10,080 in September 2022. The edition size of this artwork is limited to 50.

Created with Highcharts 11.4.8Jan 2018Oct 2018Aug 2019May 2020Mar 2021Dec 2021Oct 2022£5,000£6,000£7,000£8,000£9,000£10,000£11,000© MyArtBroker

Meaning & Analysis

Overcoming Optimism is discretely branded in vibrant orange against a rich, purple ground, characteristic of the more adventurous Penguin cover design. The alliteration, positioning and simplicity disguise the sarcastic undertones of the text, loaded with the black humour that Miller cites as a fundamental part of his upbringing in the “carnage” of life in the industrial North East.

Poignant and subversively sociopolitical, Overcoming Optimism cites Miller himself as its creator, as all his book cover works do. Explaining his love of text in his works, Miller himself actually first achieved widespread critical recognition as a writer, with his debut novel, Slow down Arthur, Stick to Thirty published in 2000. Then in 2001, merging his interests in image and text, Miller began creating a series of works based upon the Penguin book covers, which he picked up from thrift shops during his time spent living in Paris. Unable to understand the titles in French, he began to fabricate his own titles. Miller was able to incorporate his love of classic literature with painting. Overcoming Optimism is an archetypal example from this body of work, which combines figurative painting with elements of popular culture and literary imagery. With painterly brushstrokes and dripping colour partly obscuring the text, the effect is one of an ageing paperback infused with artistic vigour and an unmissable sense of the presence of the artist’s hand.

The faded cover, torn edges and stained, smudged pages of Overcoming Optimism nostalgically recall a lifetime history of love and use that visually references our intimate, long-standing relationship with text and language, in a visceral, physical connection between person and page that passes through the generations. The American painter Ed Ruscha is a clear influence for Miller, marrying text and image in a radical juxtaposition using slogans and phrases to compliment his paintings. Mark Rothko, too, is another such acknowledged source of inspiration for the British artist, with his use of prominent bands of colour such as the radiant orange and deep purple seen in the visual aesthetic of Overcoming Optimism.

  • British artist, Harland Miller, is renowned for his irreverent reimagining of vintage Penguin book jackets. Playing with nostalgia, cultural, and literary references, the artist combines Pop Art motifs with the brushstrokes of Abstract Expressionism. Miller's paintings and prints are often imbued with dark humour, with works such as You Can Rely On Me I'll Always Let You Down being characterised by an undercurrent of satire and self-depreciation. Exploring the relationship between word and image has undoubtedly allowed Miller's art to comment on the frequent disconnect between representation and reality, and influence artists such as The Connor Brothers in their practice.

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