Small

Recent trends in contemporary art have meant that we've grown accustomed to large scale pieces, be that huge canvases, enormous sculptures, or giant installations.

However, the miniature has always been an important part of contemporary art. Be it paintings, sculpture, or photography as well as small format drawings, the reduced dimensions of the artwork puts new constraints on the artist, forcing them to develop their techniques and artistic finesse.


Jeff Wall, an American photographer known for his large scale photographic prints on huge illuminated boxes, has said that “the scale of a piece is not about the dimensions of it, but about the internal tensions within the composition".


Believe it or not, miniature pieces have many advantages. Smaller formats allow the artists to show off a different range of talents and techniques, and sometimes even create the impression of a much higher quality piece – such as engravings or prints. Creating a miniature is a sure sign of precision and skill.

They are also more practical to exhibit than the enormous artworks: we've all got a little space on a shelf ready to welcome a miniature sculpture, photo or drawing.


Another very practical aspect of miniatures is the myriad possibilities for display: you could put together a full shelf of statuettes, or even a dedicated framing wall – which is an increasingly popular method for display, and makes for the perfect decorative addition to a living room or bedroom. It's a mixed composition made up of an array of pieces – you guessed it – all on the same wall. The diminutive size of the miniatures also makes it easier to make sure your favourite pieces are displayed in pride of place.

Even artists who are known for their monumental works are slowly getting into miniatures, like Jeff Wall in his exhibition at the Cartier Foundation.


The miniature is making a big name for itself as a growing trend across the contemporary art world; from Gaspard Mitz, who creates tiny versions of the interiors of famous art galleries in his 'Box Stories', to the photography of Samsofy, who recreates scenes from daily life with miniscule Lego 'actors'.  


Last but not least, the small scale of the pieces means that even big names come with small price tags, meaning that miniatures make excellent presents. So, go on, what are you waiting for? Browse our selection of miniature works now…

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Sculpture, Preparandome, Rodo Padilla

Rodo Padilla

Sculpture . 37 x 18 x 25 cm Sculpture . 14.6 x 7.1 x 9.8 inch

€3,400

Fine Art Drawings, Chimi Moryo, Tomo Sakurai

Tomo Sakurai

Fine Art Drawings . 29 x 42 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings . 11.4 x 16.5 x 0 inch

€1,700

Sculpture, Uh Oh, Nicasio Fernandez

Nicasio Fernandez

Sculpture . 30.5 x 18 x 18.2 cm Sculpture . 12 x 7.1 x 7.2 inch

€2,247

Photography, Pesadumbre, Martí Sala

Martí Sala

Photography . 30 x 40 x 1 cm Photography . 11.8 x 15.7 x 0.4 inch

€900

Painting, Dusk zone, Robert Inestroza

Robert Inestroza

Painting . 50 x 40 x 2 cm Painting . 19.7 x 15.7 x 0.8 inch

€900

Painting, A la plage, Azziel

Azziel

Painting . 30 x 40 x 2 cm Painting . 11.8 x 15.7 x 0.8 inch

€70

Painting, Jackie, Ivan Afronskiy

Ivan Afronskiy

Painting . 24 x 30 x 1 cm Painting . 9.4 x 11.8 x 0.4 inch

€1,290

Painting, Aquarelle, Julien Raynaud

Julien Raynaud

Painting . 40 x 30 x 0.1 cm Painting . 15.7 x 11.8 x 0 inch

€750

Sculpture, La main au cigare, Pierre Gimenez

Pierre Gimenez

Sculpture . 35 x 24 x 10.5 cm Sculpture . 13.8 x 9.4 x 4.1 inch

€2,850 €2,565

Photography, #1, Guillaume Benichou

#1

Guillaume Benichou

Photography . 40 x 50 x 0.1 cm Photography . 15.7 x 19.7 x 0 inch

€500

Photography, Pola Molitor, Gil Rigoulet

Gil Rigoulet

Photography . 50 x 50 x 0.02 cm Photography . 19.7 x 19.7 x 0 inch

€2,200

Painting, Untitled VIII, Rachel Isadora

Rachel Isadora

Painting . 29.2 x 44.5 x 5.1 cm Painting . 11.5 x 17.5 x 2 inch

€854

Photography, Couple Embrace, Tony Potts

Tony Potts

Photography . 50.8 x 40.6 cm Photography . 20 x 16 inch

€1,708

Print, L'éveil, Julian Semiao

Julian Semiao

Print . 50 x 41.89 x 0.1 cm Print . 19.7 x 16.5 x 0 inch

€150

Photography, Foot de rue, Uwe Ommer

Uwe Ommer

Photography . 40 x 48 x 0.1 cm Photography . 15.7 x 18.9 x 0 inch

€990

Fine Art Drawings, Plaza, Frank De Blok

Frank De Blok

Fine Art Drawings . 21 x 30 cm Fine Art Drawings . 8.3 x 11.8 inch

€220

Photography, Effluve 9, Charlotte Brunstein

Charlotte Brunstein

Photography . 43.43 x 42 x 0.1 cm Photography . 17.1 x 16.5 x 0 inch

€990

Painting, Il sofa rosso, Aleardo Villa

Aleardo Villa

Painting . 50 x 40 x 2 cm Painting . 19.7 x 15.7 x 0.8 inch

€1,700

Fine Art Drawings, À Table, Loreto Verrocchia

Loreto Verrocchia

Fine Art Drawings . 40 x 30 cm Fine Art Drawings . 15.7 x 11.8 inch

€550

Print, Le balcon, Yves Brayer

Yves Brayer

Print . 32.8 x 24.2 cm Print . 12.9 x 9.5 inch

€600

Painting, 432 HZ, Jean-Paul Sportiello

Jean-Paul Sportiello

Painting . 34 x 44 x 2.5 cm Painting . 13.4 x 17.3 x 1 inch

€880

Painting, Women Talks, Morgane Soulier

Morgane Soulier

Painting . 50 x 50 x 2 cm Painting . 19.7 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch

€4,500

Print, Le bal, Jacob Diboum

Jacob Diboum

Print . 21 x 29.7 x 0.1 cm Print . 8.3 x 11.7 x 0 inch

€150

Print, No need a punchline, Jaune

Jaune

Print . 27 x 37 x 2 cm Print . 10.6 x 14.6 x 0.8 inch

€500

Sculpture, 53, Jérôme Mesnager

53

Jérôme Mesnager

Sculpture . 28 x 25 x 15 cm Sculpture . 11 x 9.8 x 5.9 inch

€600

Photography, Surreal Cemetery, Ken Heyman

Ken Heyman

Photography . 27.9 x 35.6 x 1.3 cm Photography . 11 x 14 x 0.5 inch

€4,314

Painting, Perrache, Nicolas Curmer

Nicolas Curmer

Painting . 30 x 41 x 5 cm Painting . 11.8 x 16.1 x 2 inch

€800

Painting, Winter night, Ewa Dura

Ewa Dura

Painting . 30 x 21 x 1 cm Painting . 11.8 x 8.3 x 0.4 inch

€1,600

Painting, Sitges, Ignasi Mundo

Ignasi Mundo

Painting . 45 x 33 x 0.3 cm Painting . 17.7 x 13 x 0.1 inch

€600

Fine Art Drawings, Sans titre, Gérard Eppelé

Gérard Eppelé

Fine Art Drawings . 32 x 25.5 x 0.01 cm Fine Art Drawings . 12.6 x 10 x 0 inch

€1,350

Sculpture, Fishing Time, Vanessa Renoux

Vanessa Renoux

Sculpture . 50 x 20 x 16 cm Sculpture . 19.7 x 7.9 x 6.3 inch

€2,400

Fine Art Drawings, London, Jo Little

Jo Little

Fine Art Drawings . 40 x 30 x 0.01 cm Fine Art Drawings . 15.7 x 11.8 x 0 inch

€800

Painting, Nina, Marta Lafuente

Marta Lafuente

Painting . 49 x 36 cm Painting . 19.3 x 14.2 inch

€850

Painting, La lettre, Henri Aprin

Henri Aprin

Painting . 30 x 38 x 1 cm Painting . 11.8 x 15 x 0.4 inch

€800

Painting, Lavanderas, Maritza Bernal

Maritza Bernal

Painting . 50 x 50 x 2 cm Painting . 19.7 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch

€1,200

Fine Art Drawings, Une sauterie, ADOR

ADOR

Fine Art Drawings . 30 x 40 cm Fine Art Drawings . 11.8 x 15.7 inch

€900

Photography, No smoking, Zhao Bandi

Zhao Bandi

Photography . 50 x 50 cm Photography . 19.7 x 19.7 inch

€250

Fine Art Drawings, Beka's Dream, Nino Devdariani

Nino Devdariani

Fine Art Drawings . 33 x 43 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings . 13 x 16.9 x 0 inch

€1,200

Painting, Departure, Evelyne Puech

Evelyne Puech

Painting . 50 x 50 cm Painting . 19.7 x 19.7 inch

€1,900

Photography, Bolchoi V, Gérard Uféras

Gérard Uféras

Photography . 40 x 50 x 0.1 cm Photography . 15.7 x 19.7 x 0 inch

€1,500

Painting, Sans-titre, Dominique Fury

Dominique Fury

Painting . 40 x 40 x 1.5 cm Painting . 15.7 x 15.7 x 0.6 inch

€800

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