A Buyer’s Guide To Harland Miller

Looking to sell a Miller print? Read our dedicated Harland Miller Sellers Guide.

Harland Miller has made prints in a variety of mediums – including silkscreen, etching, embossing, giclee print and inkjet, often with chine colle or collage. They can be as small as roughly A4, to 3-4 times that size. They are generally produced on paper with a thin glossy finish, such as Somerset Satin.

Generally, Miller’s prints are published as single sheet editions, but some are published as pairs: Fuck Art Let’s Dance/Fuck Dancing Let’s Fuck was produced a diptych, while In Shadows I Boogie was published in two colourways – blue and pink – and sold in presentation boxes with monographs of the same title, bearing the corresponding print on the book cover.

In the early 2010s, Miller created a series of paintings and prints based on old Penguin poetry editions with their marbled covers. The displayed artwork titles in the Poets series often contain references to love: titles include Love and Other Crimes and the uncharacteristically optimistic Loves Saves the Day.

At a similar time, Miller published prints based on the Penguin Plays. Of this series he has said: “The jazzy Broadway-style branding of this series has a lightness and a level of unreality compared with the authoritative Classics”.

2016 saw the emergence of a series of artworks inspired by self-help books from the 1960s and ’70s. Like the original books, these artworks bore both text and graphic illustration; the titles are humorous and often self-contradicting, informed by both their meaning and typographical appearance.

Simultaneously, Miller produced a series known as Letter Paintings. Visually these artworks are bright, cheerful and graphic, using words often heard in the North of England like Luv or Ace, the only artwork in this series to be produced as a print.

On the secondary market, the value of Miller’s artworks continues to rise, with the record sale price for an individual print set at £94,900 by This Is Where Its Fuckin At in 2021. Editions of Miller’s silkscreen print Who Cares Wins, which were originally sold for £5,000 by White Cube gallery in 2020 to fundraise for the Covid-19 crisis, later achieved over £17,000 at auction in July 2021.

The value of Miller’s prints can be affected by several factors. Demand and edition size can influence value. Current shows exhibiting similar artworks can also sway buying trends, as well as condition and provenance.

Special hand-finished prints command higher prices than standard ones: a unique version of This Is Where Its Fuckin At, reworked by Miller with acrylic and watercolour, fetched over £94,900 (with fees) in 2021, the highest value for any of Miller’s prints sold on the secondary market.

Over the past year, each of Harland Miller's prints fetched an average price of €26,205, demonstrating a strong and increasing demand for his artwork.

The majority of Harland Miller’s prints are signed, but not all. They do not come with certificates of authenticity, so buying from a reputable seller – who can provide you with provenance and a paper trail – is key. Most of Miller’s prints should lead back to his four main galleries: White Cube, Reflex in Amsterdam, Manifold Editions and Paragon Press.

For provenance, look for gallery labels, exhibition stamps, auction barcodes on the back of a frame, as well as original invoices and receipts that indicate previous ownership and verification. MyArtBroker can help you collate these details from the seller and manage the deal to the end.

It is important to buy a print in the best condition possible. A print in less than perfect condition may reduce its value significantly.

When looking to buy a work online, ask the seller for high-resolution photographs of the artwork, ideally unframed. Check for signs of damage like undulation or cockling to the paper, nicks and tears, handling creases or other defects, such as light staining or cracking paint. Pay particular attention to signatures and numbering irregularities.

MyArtBroker can help you navigate concerns about condition or put you in touch with specialists – contact us to discuss more.

Once you have bought your Harland Miller print, it is important to choose a frame that protects the print for the long term and maintains its value. Choosing a reputable framer means you have a creative input in how you want your print displayed, while also preserving it to a high standard.

Miller’s prints tend to have fresh and bright colours, so frame it under UV- protective glass and hang it away from direct sunlight – light can cause staining and fading to occur, even over a short time. As the paper is porous, it is advisable to refrain hanging in damp or humid areas, which might develop water stains or foxing. Never trim your print to fit a frame, as this will immediately reduce its value.

If you decide not to frame your print, make sure it is protected while in storage. Prints should be stored flat, in the dark, and away from potentially acidic or unstable materials. Ideally, they should be wrapped in acid-free glassine or tissue paper and housed within made-to-measure folders or boxes made from acid free materials.

Contact MyArtBroker if you want more advice on framing your print, or read more in our Guide To Restoring And Caring For Modern And Contemporary Prints.

Miller continues to create new work, both paintings and prints, which prospective buyers can purchase through galleries and exhibitions; on the secondary market, buyers can look to auction houses, reputable online sales platforms and brokers, such as MyArtBroker.

MyArtBroker’s expert brokers can assist you with buying a Harland Miller print from our large network of collectors. Our brokers will also authenticate and check the condition of the artwork, so you can be confident about your investment. We offer both the sense of trust and comfort that comes with meeting with a specialist personally, as well as the efficiency, transparency and ease of buying online.

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