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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Yoshitomo Nara
Fine Art Drawings - 30 x 21 cm Fine Art Drawings - 11.8 x 8.3 inch
$86,690
Jeune femme endormie
Eugène Bégarat
Painting - 35 x 27 x 2 cm Painting - 13.8 x 10.6 x 0.8 inch
$2,196
La fille de Chambellan
Anatoly Syvkov
Painting - 48 x 35 x 2 cm Painting - 18.9 x 13.8 x 0.8 inch
$1,618
Cause the world’s crasy man
Jofo
Fine Art Drawings - 42 x 29.7 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 16.5 x 11.7 x 0 inch
$1,133
Fluttering butterflies
Beatriz Sánchez
Painting - 50 x 50 x 1 cm Painting - 19.7 x 19.7 x 0.4 inch
$3,468
Unique openwork portrait
Boguslaw Popowicz
Sculpture - 40 x 33 x 18 cm Sculpture - 15.7 x 13 x 7.1 inch
$7,512
Pacific Sugar
Chloe Marsters
Fine Art Drawings - 40 x 28.7 x 1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 15.7 x 11.3 x 0.4 inch
$982
Innocence in Collision
David Cintract
Photography - 30 x 30 x 2 cm Photography - 11.8 x 11.8 x 0.8 inch
$1,098
Mickaël Archangel
Carole Framezelle - Acmiya
Print - 50 x 50 x 1 cm Print - 19.7 x 19.7 x 0.4 inch
$289
Double Temporality
Intissar Belaid
Photography - 31 x 23 x 1 cm Photography - 12.2 x 9.1 x 0.4 inch
$2,890
A_scared_Kojosei_notreally_
Isaac Ato Jackson
Painting - 50 x 37 x 5 cm Painting - 19.7 x 14.6 x 2 inch
$3,468
La bougie
Henriette Barety
Fine Art Drawings - 30 x 40 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 11.8 x 15.7 x 0 inch
$462
Tennis player
Werkstätte Hagenauer
Sculpture - 28 x 27 x 8 cm Sculpture - 11 x 10.6 x 3.1 inch
$5,201
Variation of Mona Lisa ( made with dust)
Gil Gijón
Fine Art Drawings - 47 x 41 cm Fine Art Drawings - 18.5 x 16.1 inch
$3,500
Trump at Home
Blankman
Fine Art Drawings - 32 x 32 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 12.6 x 12.6 x 0 inch
$289
Portrate of Frida Kahlo
Tamar Mindia
Fine Art Drawings - 44 x 44 x 3 cm Fine Art Drawings - 17.3 x 17.3 x 1.2 inch
$450
Nostalgia
Zena Dabbous
Fine Art Drawings - 30.5 x 30.5 x 0.01 cm Fine Art Drawings - 12 x 12 x 0 inch
$400
Troprotégé parmé parant
Maurice Falise
Fine Art Drawings - 28.5 x 20 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 11.2 x 7.9 x 0 inch
$561
Female bust, early 1980s
Franz Hagenauer
Design - 45 x 27 x 18 cm Design - 17.7 x 10.6 x 7.1 inch
$43,923
Untitled
Rudy Montoya
Fine Art Drawings - 50.8 x 20.3 x 2.5 cm Fine Art Drawings - 20 x 8 x 1 inch
$450
Comtesse PiouPiou
Valentine Burlan
Fine Art Drawings - 45 x 30 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 17.7 x 11.8 x 0 inch
$91
Audrey Fleurot 3
Theo Haggai
Fine Art Drawings - 27.5 x 20.5 cm Fine Art Drawings - 10.8 x 8.1 inch
$682
Mechanical Body In Colors
Richard Lindner
Fine Art Drawings - 38 x 26 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 15 x 10.2 x 0 inch
$694
Alinéa-toi - Série sculpture bronze corps humain
Monique Gervais
Sculpture - 28 x 33 x 15 cm Sculpture - 11 x 13 x 5.9 inch
$5,201
Étude Corps Féminin 13
Sandrine Verdier
Sculpture - 40 x 22 x 17 cm Sculpture - 15.7 x 8.7 x 6.7 inch
$2,370
Récolte d'étoile
Guillaume Cavalier
Fine Art Drawings - 31 x 23 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 12.2 x 9.1 x 0 inch
$1,150
There was always love
Adnan Dogan
Sculpture - 45 x 29 x 18 cm Sculpture - 17.7 x 11.4 x 7.1 inch
$5,548
Récitation à l’éloge d’une Reine
Horst Antes
Print - 34 x 26 x 0.05 cm Print - 13.4 x 10.2 x 0 inch
$405
Femme arbre Le rachis vital
Renata Andrade
Sculpture - 30 x 15 x 30 cm Sculpture - 11.8 x 5.9 x 11.8 inch
$809
Repos
Changzheng Zhu
Fine Art Drawings - 38 x 38 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 15 x 15 x 0 inch
$144 $124
Laurette
Marie Renaud
Fine Art Drawings - 50 x 40 x 0.2 cm Fine Art Drawings - 19.7 x 15.7 x 0.1 inch
$439
Room 2 - 12 Prints Collector Portfolio # 5 - Fine Art Photography
Eric Ceccarini
Print - 30 x 21 x 0.3 cm Print - 11.8 x 8.3 x 0.1 inch
$936
Looking for the past
Stefan Hadzi Nikolov
Painting - 50 x 40 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 15.7 x 0.8 inch
$1,676
MV. 24-7 - Série Croquis Modèle Vivant
Gilles Le Tron
Painting - 26 x 20 x 0.1 cm Painting - 10.2 x 7.9 x 0 inch
$202
Rêvons la ville nocturne - Let’s live city night life
Gilles Cormery
Print - 27 x 20 x 1 cm Print - 10.6 x 7.9 x 0.4 inch
$1,098
Le Souffle de l'Autumna
Ella Elijah
Photography - 42 x 29.7 x 0.1 cm Photography - 16.5 x 11.7 x 0 inch
$601
La femme piège (Hommage à Enki Bilal)
Félix Meynet
Fine Art Drawings - 40 x 30 cm Fine Art Drawings - 15.7 x 11.8 inch
$1,110
Mathilde
Guy Delaroque
Fine Art Drawings - 30 x 50 x 0.3 cm Fine Art Drawings - 11.8 x 19.7 x 0.1 inch
$809
Sans titre
Ayako David Kawauchi
Fine Art Drawings - 30 x 30 x 1.5 cm Fine Art Drawings - 11.8 x 11.8 x 0.6 inch
$1,040
Je ne vois pas la femme cachée dans la foret
Elina Dillmann
Print - 29.7 x 21 x 0.1 cm Print - 11.7 x 8.3 x 0 inch
$162
MV. 24-3 - Série Croquis Modèle Vivant
Gilles Le Tron
Fine Art Drawings - 26 x 20 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 10.2 x 7.9 x 0 inch
$202
Palme de la Victoire
Pierre Le Faguays
Sculpture - 42 x 11 x 12 cm Sculpture - 16.5 x 4.3 x 4.7 inch
$4,046
