A painting that was printed on the cover of Ender’s Game, the 1980s sci-fi novel, sold for an extraordinary 10-times its estimate to realise just over £500,000 at auction last week.
The painting, Drunkard’s Walk, by John Harris was completed in 1978.
The original, painted in shellac on board, topped Christie’s online-only Science Fiction and Fantasy auction that concluded last Thursday, December 12.
It went into the sale with an estimate range of just £30,000 to £50,000.
A copy of the Dune Bible, a storyboard for the legendary unmade Alejandro Jodorowsky adaption of Frank Herbert’s Dune, and an “exquisite” first edition of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, a foundational work of modern science fiction were expected to be the most valuable items in the sale.
Both were sold within their estimate range, each making £277,200.
But the Harris painting massively outperformed expectations.
The full image in all its futuristic glory captured the imagination of one buyer with funds to match their sci-fi dreams. Image courtesy Christie’s.
Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game was published in 1985. It’s set on a future earth that fears a third alien invasion and follows Andrew “Ender” Wiggin through his military training.
The story was popular from its first publication, and won the 1985 Nebula Award and 1986 Huge Award.
Ender’s adventures continued through a four-novel series, and the first book was filmed for a 2013 release that featured Harrison Ford in a lead role.
The artist, John Harris, is an important painter of science-fiction and space-informed art.
He started to paint extraterrestrial subjects in 1976, catching the eye of NASA, who invited him to a space shuttle launch (the first artist so honoured).
His work hangs in the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida and is part of the Smithsonian Collection.
This painting, Drunkard’s Walk, was commissioned as a book cover, but for a different novel by Frederick Pohl.
It found its home though on the cover of Ender’s Game, and has remained on the front of the title in all subsequent editions.
The extraordinary result of this sale though – well over 1,000% over estimate – is a surprise. Previous aggregations of Harris sales suggested his work was valued in the hundreds to low tens of thousands of pounds.
A couple of other items from Harris – one from the Sinclair ZX81 software manuel – also sold over their estimates. But their prices – £18,900 versus a £15,000 top estimate, and £35,280 against a £30,000 top estimate – aren’t in this realm.
An Ender superfan with deep pockets seems the most likely explanation for this sale, though owners of Harris pieces will note the broader upward trend in his work with interest.
