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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Hongkong mood light
Lisbeth Buonanno
Painting - 27 x 22 x 2 cm Painting - 10.6 x 8.7 x 0.8 inch
$867
Rouget d'origine noble dorée
Robert Combas
Painting - 46.5 x 34 x 2.5 cm Painting - 18.3 x 13.4 x 1 inch
$13,870
Gants de boxe (Red-heart red-violet)
Nick Walker
Sculpture - 30 x 12.5 x 3 cm Sculpture - 11.8 x 4.9 x 1.2 inch
$1,618
Tropiques, Fleurs blanches
Bernard Marie Collet
Painting - 50 x 50 x 4 cm Painting - 19.7 x 19.7 x 1.6 inch
$925
Unchanging whispers
Soichiro Shimizu
Painting - 30 x 25 x 3.5 cm Painting - 11.8 x 9.8 x 1.4 inch
$1,098
Série : Portrait de couleur - tableau No 1
Wen Ming Tao
Painting - 40 x 30 x 5 cm Painting - 15.7 x 11.8 x 2 inch
$7,792
Dualité II
Bernard Métranve
Sculpture - 35 x 24 x 7 cm Sculpture - 13.8 x 9.4 x 2.8 inch
$4,392 $3,294
Love in the Time of Forest Fires
Niki Singleton
Painting - 40.64 x 30.48 x 2 cm Painting - 16 x 12 x 0.8 inch
$2,928
Composition musicale dyptique 1/2
Francesco Marino Di Teana
Fine Art Drawings - 23 x 30 x 2 cm Fine Art Drawings - 9.1 x 11.8 x 0.8 inch
$2,312
Thracian tulip (Tulipa thracica)
Lyuben Domozetski
Painting - 28 x 21 x 0.1 cm Painting - 11 x 8.3 x 0 inch
$740
By My Side 1
Antoine Rose
Photography - 35 x 35 x 0.5 cm Photography - 13.8 x 13.8 x 0.2 inch
$1,070
Bien dans ma bulle edition d'art
Sophie Petetin
Print - 40 x 40 x 1 cm Print - 15.7 x 15.7 x 0.4 inch
$254
La Nascita, Milano Centrale, Italie
JR
Photography - 31 x 41 x 0.01 cm Photography - 12.2 x 16.1 x 0 inch
$1,386
Just Coco - Butterflies
Géraldine G.
Painting - 50 x 50 x 3 cm Painting - 19.7 x 19.7 x 1.2 inch
$2,400
The arms of the little Cupid
Lilit Soghomonyan
Painting - 50 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch
$1,849 $1,664
Le Rhinocéros Bleu
Changzheng Zhu
Sculpture - 14 x 35 x 12 cm Sculpture - 5.5 x 13.8 x 4.7 inch
$809 $647
Sans titre
Kitty Sabatier
Fine Art Drawings - 41 x 27 cm Fine Art Drawings - 16.1 x 10.6 inch
$1,618
Sognami ancora
Francesco Calistri
Painting - 50 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch
$1,965
E=M love au carré - 2
In Love Street Art
Painting - 20 x 27.5 x 0.8 cm Painting - 7.9 x 10.8 x 0.3 inch
$636
Petit ours tagué patineur
Miko-R
Sculpture - 40 x 18 x 26 cm Sculpture - 15.7 x 7.1 x 10.2 inch
$867 $780
Bird, no sens
Jean-Philippe Berger
Sculpture - 15.5 x 37.5 x 3 cm Sculpture - 6.1 x 14.8 x 1.2 inch
$133