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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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
Vase femme à la cithare-Bleu
Aurélie Trabaud
Design - 30 x 9 x 8.5 cm Design - 11.8 x 3.5 x 3.3 inch
$636
Beretta in Crayons(5)
Luke Newton
Sculpture - 31 x 39 x 6 cm Sculpture - 12.2 x 15.4 x 2.4 inch
$5,201
Rêve de scène II
Tanguy Mendrisse
Photography - 30 x 24 x 0.1 cm Photography - 11.8 x 9.4 x 0 inch
$139
XX164175
Pierre Muckensturm
Fine Art Drawings - 42 x 29.7 cm Fine Art Drawings - 16.5 x 11.7 inch
$751
A Lovely Serenade Of Summer
Yasna Godovanik
Sculpture - 48 x 48 x 0.5 cm Sculpture - 18.9 x 18.9 x 0.2 inch
$1,445 $809
Émergence lumineuse
Alexandre Moore Rockefeller
Painting - 47 x 36 x 0.6 cm Painting - 18.5 x 14.2 x 0.2 inch
$751
Caleidoscopio
Amancio Gonzalez
Sculpture - 41 x 30 x 20 cm Sculpture - 16.1 x 11.8 x 7.9 inch
$4,970
Piccolo Arcobaleno
Lucio Del Pezzo
Sculpture - 16 x 35 x 14 cm Sculpture - 6.3 x 13.8 x 5.5 inch
$1,849
Rabbit, Trasure-Trove
Minako Asakura
Fine Art Drawings - 22 x 27.3 x 3 cm Fine Art Drawings - 8.7 x 10.7 x 1.2 inch
$694
Liminal Icon (Monument I)
Michael Barringer
Painting - 27.9 x 25.4 cm Painting - 11 x 10 inch
$1,030
Southern California Wall Map
Jeremy Dickinson
Painting - 30.5 x 40.5 x 2.5 cm Painting - 12 x 15.9 x 1 inch
$4,400
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
For Your Eyes Only 19
Marian Williams
Fine Art Drawings - 44.5 x 31.5 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 17.5 x 12.4 x 0 inch
$289
Lil Heroes #3493 (Unique with drawing)
Edgar Plans
Print - 35 x 35 cm Print - 13.8 x 13.8 inch
$2,059
Abstract Composition
Aaron Labin (Grigoryan)
Painting - 50 x 40 x 1.5 cm Painting - 19.7 x 15.7 x 0.6 inch
$751 $676
Sea of Santa Caterina
Justine Giordano
Painting - 36 x 46 x 2 cm Painting - 14.2 x 18.1 x 0.8 inch
$578
Forme Molle
Joël Kermarrec
Fine Art Drawings - 25.5 x 20 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 10 x 7.9 x 0 inch
$925
Turtle Rolls-Royce
Diederik Van Apple
Sculpture - 25 x 40 x 25 cm Sculpture - 9.8 x 15.7 x 9.8 inch
$1,600
Aurum 6
Marco Araldi & Keng Wai Lee
Painting - 42.5 x 32.5 x 4 cm Painting - 16.7 x 12.8 x 1.6 inch
$1,235
Landscape with houses
Ivan Yahnadzhiev
Painting - 35 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 13.8 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch
$578
Your thought in you, suffices you
Mouneer Al Shaarani
Print - 40 x 40 x 1 cm Print - 15.7 x 15.7 x 0.4 inch
$700
Red Rose of the Revolution
Parimah Avani
Painting - 21 x 28 x 0.2 cm Painting - 8.3 x 11 x 0.1 inch
$578
Pond with pink lilies
Elena Lukina
Painting - 50 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch
$1,248
Daydream
Nino Eliashvili
Fine Art Drawings - 41.5 x 29.5 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 16.3 x 11.6 x 0 inch
$925
Romantic plants 1
Trendafila Trendafilova
Print - 30 x 42 x 0.2 cm Print - 11.8 x 16.5 x 0.1 inch
$295
Portrait de classe 14
Camille Cottier
Painting - 27.5 x 22.5 x 2 cm Painting - 10.8 x 8.9 x 0.8 inch
$925
Still Cool
Sara Ingleby-Mackenzie
Sculpture - 35 x 13 x 7 cm Sculpture - 13.8 x 5.1 x 2.8 inch
$1,318
Portrait #2. From the Portraits series
Luigi Christopher Veggetti Kanku
Painting - 30 x 20.8 x 0.3 cm Painting - 11.8 x 8.2 x 0.1 inch
$1,200
Optimism Painting I
Stuart Christian Möller
Painting - 41 x 41 x 2.5 cm Painting - 16.1 x 16.1 x 1 inch
$1,271
