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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Categories

Subcategories

Small

Undulations

Untitled (purple-beige)

Untitled (purple-white)

Untitled (green-pink)

Untitled (yellow-brown)

Untitled (black-purple)

Aurum 1

Les équations du chaos colorés

Coeur de Gemmes

Aiguille de Boussole

Eclats d'Automne

Faisceaux Lumineux Bleu-Vert

Geometria

Composición en espirales

Geometric #2

Geometric #1

Cypher number 48

Cipher number 51

Blast number 2

Le baiser 4

Marseille

PROFONDEUR CIRCULAIRE III

Snake

Fizzy

Caméléon

Upcycle #5 Cactus patch

Certain dangers of Science

Platform-7

Untitled

Untitled

Untitled

Au-delà 21

Rinofrog

If nature takes over

7502

Concrete composition 20

Porquerolles plage

Untitled 59

Pyramid (hand signed three dimensional screen print)

Spark #18

Spark #7

Spark #2

Sans titre 2

Où est Charlie ? V

Coils 24

Voile de blanc

Variations cinétiques 1

It's an adventure

Screws

Biface

Small Red Orbit

Chromatic number 6

Blast 3

Blast number 4

Blast number 5

Blast number 6

If I only could deceive you 9

The rest of us 9

401 Zooming asteroid, Painting, Acrylic on wood panel

403 Shapes near Mars, Painting, Acrylic on wood panel

Intertwined

Où est Charlie ? VII

Love / Bois

Équilibre illusoire 67

The Long Way Around

Geometry of a Dance

Vue su Mer

Several Circles - Kandinsky