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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Édition Toujours Marilyn 50 RED
Miguel Guía
Print - 50 x 50 x 0.3 cm Print - 19.7 x 19.7 x 0.1 inch
$830
Welcome to the colorful side
Bernard Saint-Maxent
Painting - 50 x 50 x 6 cm Painting - 19.7 x 19.7 x 2.4 inch
$1,780
Bear CD Tribute, Blue Collar
Naor
Sculpture - 30 x 20 x 9 cm Sculpture - 11.8 x 7.9 x 3.5 inch
$1,364
Open Window with Butterflies
David Gerstein
Sculpture - 49 x 39 x 5 cm Sculpture - 19.3 x 15.4 x 2 inch
$2,966
La cage où les gens pleurent
Sandra Chevrier
Sculpture - 30 x 22 x 17 cm Sculpture - 11.8 x 8.7 x 6.7 inch
$1,957
Serigraphie I (rehaussée à la main/hand-embellished)
Piotre
Print - 50 x 50 x 0.1 cm Print - 19.7 x 19.7 x 0 inch
$949
Le liquide Bleu
Yannick Bouillault
Sculpture - 44 x 17 x 17 cm Sculpture - 17.3 x 6.7 x 6.7 inch
$949
One dollar green hope
Karl Lagasse
Sculpture - 16.5 x 38 x 7 cm Sculpture - 6.5 x 15 x 2.8 inch
$2,966 $2,669
Gacko bear love pop art Porsche
André Gacko
Sculpture - 27 x 26 x 21 cm Sculpture - 10.6 x 10.2 x 8.3 inch
$1,530
USA Code Barre Steve McQueen Sport 3
Elmago
Painting - 50 x 50 x 4 cm Painting - 19.7 x 19.7 x 1.6 inch
$1,530
One Dollar in my Red Canvas
Karl Lagasse
Print - 30 x 20 x 0.3 cm Print - 11.8 x 7.9 x 0.1 inch
$747
I got ingot...To resell in 2030
Marie Serruya
Sculpture - 48 x 30 x 3 cm Sculpture - 18.9 x 11.8 x 1.2 inch
$2,847
Garçon au ballon
Seth
Fine Art Drawings - 30 x 24 x 2 cm Fine Art Drawings - 11.8 x 9.4 x 0.8 inch
$830 $664
Wild Flowers (Edition Vieillie)
Toctoc
Print - 42 x 29.7 x 0.01 cm Print - 16.5 x 11.7 x 0 inch
$652 $620
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
$1,661
Just Coco - Butterflies
Géraldine G.
Painting - 50 x 50 x 3 cm Painting - 19.7 x 19.7 x 1.2 inch
$2,400
Beretta in Crayons(5)
Luke Newton
Sculpture - 31 x 39 x 6 cm Sculpture - 12.2 x 15.4 x 2.4 inch
$5,339
Émergence lumineuse
Alexandre Moore Rockefeller
Painting - 47 x 36 x 0.6 cm Painting - 18.5 x 14.2 x 0.2 inch
$771
Lil Heroes #3493 (Unique with drawing)
Edgar Plans
Print - 35 x 35 cm Print - 13.8 x 13.8 inch
$2,120
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
Pop Art Communication x Haring x 24/7 (yellow)
Ad Van Hassel
Sculpture - 33 x 10 x 10 cm Sculpture - 13 x 3.9 x 3.9 inch
$267
Balloon Rabbit (Violet)
Jeff Koons
Sculpture - 29 x 14 x 21 cm Sculpture - 11.4 x 5.5 x 8.3 inch
$20,761
The saxophonist from the Star Wars bar
Daniil Danailov
Sculpture - 38 x 25.5 x 25.5 cm Sculpture - 15 x 10 x 10 inch
$771
Takashi Murakami × ComplexCon Mr.DOB Figure by Bait × Switch Collectibles (Gold Edition)
Takashi Murakami
Sculpture - 27.4 x 23.5 x 23.5 cm Sculpture - 10.8 x 9.3 x 9.3 inch
$5,932
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
$1,483
Kira (Burnished Gold)
Roby Dwi Antono
Sculpture - 31 x 26 x 23 cm Sculpture - 12.2 x 10.2 x 9.1 inch
$11,580
Végas pop art star wars
Christophe Comerro
Sculpture - 45 x 30 x 45 cm Sculpture - 17.7 x 11.8 x 17.7 inch
$1,163
Lumière noire
Jacques Villeglé
Sculpture - 29.2 x 14.5 x 14.5 cm Sculpture - 11.5 x 5.7 x 5.7 inch
$11,270
"Mountain sunset" - series Denia
Volodymyr Gluhomanyuk
Painting - 25 x 30 x 2 cm Painting - 9.8 x 11.8 x 0.8 inch
$641
We All Make the Flowers Grow III (White)
Josh Sperling
Design - 35 x 42 x 8.9 cm Design - 13.8 x 16.5 x 3.5 inch
$2,819
Babolex Snoop Dogg
Vincent Faudemer
Sculpture - 30 x 20 x 15 cm Sculpture - 11.8 x 7.9 x 5.9 inch
$2,254 $2,029
