A Seller’s Guide To Harland Miller

There’s No Business Like No Business by Harland MillerThere’s No Business Like No Business © Harland Miller 2013
Rebecca Marsham

Rebecca Marsham, Sales Director[email protected]

Interested in buying or selling
Harland Miller?

If you are in the market to sell a Harland Miller print, here are a few pieces of advice before you start your journey, to make sure you sell at the right time and achieve the right price.

Looking to buy a Miller print? Read our dedicated Harland Miller Buyers Guide.

How do Harland Miller’s prints relate to his paintings?

Harland Miller prints are an affordable way to collect the artist’s work: while his paintings can cost millions at auction, a print of the same artwork can be acquired for much less.

Many of Harland Miller’s prints are related to his paintings, but they can be published years after, or even before, their painted counterparts. The print version of Love Conquers Nothing was released in 2011, before the original painting was completed. Similarly, Miller released a digital print of Incurable Romantic in 2011 but the original painting was released for sale a year later.

How much is my Harland Miller print worth?

Harland Miller prints vary greatly in scale and edition size, both of these factors influence value. Special hand-finished prints are particularly sought after for their uniqueness and rarity: a reworked print of This Is Where Its Fuckin At, sold for £94,900 (with fees) – the most expensive of Miller’s prints on the secondary market. For the most part Miller’s prints are made in editions of under 100. He has experimented with many printing mediums, preferring printing techniques which allow for bright and fresh colours. Examples of these mediums include, screenprinting, inkjet, etching and embossing – many on paper, with a thin glossy finish, such as Somerset Satin.

Miller has also been known to produce one-off prints. Making a one-of-a-kind artwork which is utterly unique and are particularly sought after for their rarity. Who Cares Wins is one such example created when Sotheby’s curated an Art for Grenfell charity auction in 2017 and Miller donated this work to be sold as a contribution to the auction. The printing method was a screen print, hand finished with pencil and oil paint and it sold for £62,500.

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

Whether you originally bought your Miller print for investment or passion, it is worth requesting a valuation to see the equity it currently holds.

How to prove your Harland Miller is authentic

When you come to sell your Harland Miller print, buyers commonly ask about the provenance to help support its authenticity. Miller’s prints do not come with certificates of authenticity, however a paper trail can suffice – most should lead back to the four main galleries that first published the prints, these are White Cube, Reflex in Amsterdam, Manifold Editions and Paragon Press. Almost all Miller prints are signed, with the occasional anomaly.

If you need a reference book to assist with looking at other examples, In Shadows I Boogie is the most comprehensive book to date on Harland Miller’s paintings and prints.

How to care for your Harland Miller print

Caring for your print will pay dividends when it comes to selling it for investment, and going the extra mile to preserve the condition is smart, after all, its condition is linked to value and appeal.

Store your print in an area away from moisture and out of direct sunlight, ideally the darker, the better. If your print is unframed (which is unusual for a Miller edition – the four main galleries who produced them offered them framed) keep it stored flat in an archival sleeve with the printed image facing up.

For the most part Miller’s inkjet editions were produced on Somerset Satin, whilst his screen prints tend to be printed on wove heavier stock paper. Somerset Satin is prone to soft handling creases when handled unframed. With this in mind, move with great care, and never keep unframed works in tubes as this can cause permanent damage.

If you have concerns about defects, you can speak to our brokers who have knowledgeable specialist restorers on hand who can advise on such matters. Just use the chat box at the bottom right of this page.

When to sell your Harland Miller print

When presenting your print to the secondary market, it is important to take a look at whether others from the same edition are being publicly circulated. If you look at auction catalogues or art dealer’s stock you will never see more than one of the same print published at the same time. The reason for this is the optimum price will not be achieved, and competing in this manner risks driving prices down.

One of the benefits of selling your print via MyArtBroker is that the asking price of your print will never be publicly advertised, meaning you’re never in direct competition with other sellers. We can also market your print to individual collectors interested in Harland Miller prints.

Where to sell your Harland Miller print

You can consign your Harland Miller to an auction house, choosing a ‘prints only’ auction. You may be restricted to their sale calendar of a few opportunities a year, and their deadlines tend to be one month plus before the sale date for entries, and one month after the sale date is payment. It is important to note that auction houses charge fees on the hammer price which they list as seller’s commission, photography fees, insurance and withdrawal fees also apply, and if your work goes unsold you will be subject to an unsold fee – all of which have VAT on top.

MyArtBroker charges absolutely nothing to sell your work. This is because we have a highly targeting audience of Harland Miller collectors, and comparatively low costs associated with reaching them. We therefore do not need to, as we know we’ll find you a buyer.

Our website provides a 24/7 access online for buyers to view your print from the comfort of their home or office. Guidance and queries will be answered in a knowledgeable fashion and here you can register and upload details of your Harland Miller print, and receive a valuation free of charge. We will then, with your approval, introduce it to the market and our collectors. There are no hidden fees, or unsold fees, and buyers will be able to contact both you and your own art broker whose role is to help guide and secure the deal.

Request a valuation for your Harland Miller print.

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