My Uncle was friends with Pro Hart and he gave him the Bible. It has been passed onto me. Good condition some back pages are marked around the edge.
12cm x 8cm
Hello, this item is a small-format New Testament, Psalms and Proverbs Bible (approximately 12 × 8 cm), commercially produced in Australia in the late 20th century, with an original hand-painted acrylic composition and signature by Pro Hart applied directly to the back cover. The abstract floral-style motif and bold primary colors are consistent with Hart’s late-period spontaneous surface works, which he often executed on unconventional supports including books and objects for personal gifts or charitable contexts rather than formal gallery editions. The Bible itself is a standard devotional printing with cloth-covered boards and gilt lettering, not a rare or early religious edition. The added painting and autograph constitute the primary collectible value. Condition appears good overall, with light edge wear to the pages and minor handling marks to the cover, consistent with normal use. The painted surface shows no visible cracking or loss from the images provided, and the signature remains clear.
From a market perspective, Pro Hart’s small signed works on paper or informal supports typically trade between USD 250 and USD 700 depending on size, presentation, and subject, with non-traditional objects such as painted books generally falling toward the lower to mid range of that bracket due to their novelty nature and lack of formal provenance. As the Bible itself holds minimal standalone value and this example is not a documented commissioned artwork, the combined fair market value for this piece is realistically in the range of USD 300 to USD 500.