The donation includes several important pieces from his ‘Bad Weather Paintings’ series, which pay homage to three Yorkshire destinations: Whitby, Scarborough, and York.
The pieces, painted especially for the gallery, include two large-scale canvases titled ‘York, So Good They Named It Once’ and ‘Whitby, The Self Catering Years’, as well as a work on paper, ‘Scarborough, Have Faith in Cod’.
Miller’s work is inspired by his upbringing in 1970s Yorkshire and reflects his love of popular language.
The donated pieces celebrate his home city and childhood memories.
Miller said: “I really hope that other young artists will get as much pleasure as I have from wandering around the gallery and I hope that my paintings will be a part of that.”
Dr Beatrice Bertram, senior curator at York Art Gallery, said: “We have harboured a long-term ambition to acquire Harland’s work, and are thrilled to finally be able to represent this internationally significant artist in our collection.
“These fantastic works were created exclusively for us in 2024, and are quintessentially Miller in character – immediately recognisable, beautifully painted, and subtly witty.
“All three will make fantastic additions to our permanent collection, and we’re particularly pleased to be able to share his new painterly, expressive version of ‘York, So Good They Named It Once’ with audiences here in Miller’s home city – the original York.”
To commemorate the donation, Miller is releasing a limited edition print, ‘York, So Good They Named It Once’, based on his original painting of the same name.
This edition aims to help raise funds for York Art Gallery.
The 27-colour silkscreen print will be available as an edition of 50 exclusively on avantarte.com this April.
Miller’s much-anticipated ‘XXX’, a nationally important exhibition for York, Yorkshire, and the UK, runs from March 14 until August 31, 2025.
The artist is represented by White Cube.
