Incurable
Romantic Seeks Dirty Filthy Whore
Miller's subversive Penguin Classic covers feature edgy humour and playful titles. He began this practice while strolling around Parisian second-hand bookshops. A prime example of his amusingly foul-mouthed humour in these works are his multiple versions of Incurable Romantic seeks Dirty Filthy Whore, ranging from faithful classic covers to wacky, geometric versions.
Harland Miller Incurable Romantic Seeks Dirty Filthy Whore For sale
Incurable Romantic Seeks Dirty Filthy Whore Value (5 Years)
Sales data across the Incurable Romantic Seeks Dirty Filthy Whore series by Harland Miller varies by print. While standout works have sold at auction for up to £20,000, other editions in the series remain rare to market or have yet to appear publicly for sale. Of those tracked, average selling prices have ranged from £3,200 to £20,000, with an annual growth rate of 18.13% across available data. Collectors should note the variation in performance between more visible and lesser-seen editions when considering value potential in this series. The first work from the series sold at auction on 23/03/2016. Factors that enhance value include condition, edition size, signature status and private market demand; a premium is placed on rare variants and signed examples typically command a premium. Peak hammer prices have reached £20,000 for top-performing works. The market view is of measured growth with room for further development.
Incurable Romantic Seeks Dirty Filthy Whore Market value
Auction Results
| Artwork | Auction Date | Auction House | Return to Seller | Hammer Price | Buyer Paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Incurable Romantic Seeks Dirty Filthy Whore Harland Miller Signed Print | 24 Sept 2025 | Sotheby's London | £8,075 | £9,500 | £12,500 |
 Incurable Romantic Seeks Dirty Filthy Whore Harland Miller Signed Print | 24 Mar 2024 | Christie's London | £7,225 | £8,500 | £11,500 |
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Meaning & Analysis
A prime example of Miller’s biting humour, Incurable Romantic seeks Dirty Filthy Whore, is characteristic of his entire oeuvre. His Penguin series began in 2001 and epitomises Miller's naughty creativity. In this series, Miller adapts and transforms the covers of Penguin Clasics by creating his own ironic titles and reimagined novels, a practice that stemmed from his time wandering around second-hand bookshops in Paris and coming across French titles that he could not translate, but still evoked a sense of keen nostalgia.
Incurable Romantic Seeks Dirty Filthy Whore has multiple versions within the series, each of which preserves the title and book format but with the text shown across different abstract background colours and formations. In the screen print from 2010, Miller maintains the simple book cover design, with the title text in bold red in the centre of the composition. The digital print version from 2011 stands out from the others in this series and other Penguin dust jackets due to its unconventional background. This particular Miller print uses a geometrical illusion composed of colourful circles and lines in this print, instead of the simple, monochrome cover that he usually favours. The original oil painting for this digital pigment print is currently held in a Private Collection after being in the possession of Ingleby Gallery in Edinburgh, who had purchased it for Miller’s exhibition Harland Miller: Overcoming Optimism in 2012–13.
