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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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
La montée des eaux
Fabienne Cresens
Photography - 40 x 40 x 4 cm Photography - 15.7 x 15.7 x 1.6 inch
$578
Wagner
Ernest Pignon-Ernest
Fine Art Drawings - 36 x 40 cm Fine Art Drawings - 14.2 x 15.7 inch
$20,806
Senza titolo
Sandro Chia
Sculpture - 34.5 x 37.7 x 30.7 cm Sculpture - 13.6 x 14.8 x 12.1 inch
$34,676
Helping Hand, Charming Snakes and Earth Needs Us Both. Ceramic Vase sculptures
Alex Hodge
Design - 22.1 x 39.4 x 6.4 cm Design - 8.7 x 15.5 x 2.5 inch
$2,450
Flammarion. Photograph intervened by the artists.
Hunter & Gatti
Photography - 29.5 x 21.7 x 0.3 cm Photography - 11.6 x 8.5 x 0.1 inch
$1,080
La Traviata - Rodolphe - 2e Acte
Erte Tirtoff
Fine Art Drawings - 37 x 28 x 0.2 cm Fine Art Drawings - 14.6 x 11 x 0.1 inch
$3,930
Fashion on the Street, Paris 1963
Uwe Ommer
Photography - 50.8 x 40.6 x 0.3 cm Photography - 20 x 16 x 0.1 inch
$1,250
Kira (Burnished Gold)
Roby Dwi Antono
Sculpture - 31 x 26 x 23 cm Sculpture - 12.2 x 10.2 x 9.1 inch
$11,250
No Valid Name #1
Natasha Lelenco
Sculpture - 32 x 32 x 5 cm Sculpture - 12.6 x 12.6 x 2 inch
$1,387 $1,040
Portrait de jeune fille
Henri Fehr
Fine Art Drawings - 36 x 27 x 0.3 cm Fine Art Drawings - 14.2 x 10.6 x 0.1 inch
$678
A contre courant
Pierre Alechinsky
Painting - 31 x 22 x 0.1 cm Painting - 12.2 x 8.7 x 0 inch
$11,559
Innocence in the Fields
Armen Vahramyan
Painting - 30 x 30 x 2 cm Painting - 11.8 x 11.8 x 0.8 inch
$600
Martin Luther King (The Truth Behind a Portrait)
Yigal Ozeri
Print - 50 x 35 x 0.5 cm Print - 19.7 x 13.8 x 0.2 inch
$1,000
Workday Conversations
Gegham Hunanyan
Painting - 50 x 40 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 15.7 x 0.8 inch
$350 $280
Unbreakable Bond
Liana Asatryan
Painting - 40 x 30 x 2 cm Painting - 15.7 x 11.8 x 0.8 inch
$650 $553
Jake not Dinos; Dinos not Jake
Jake & Dinos Chapman
Print - 39 x 28 x 0.1 cm Print - 15.4 x 11 x 0 inch
$925
Mick Jagger - Le poing - London - Derniers tirages
Pierre Terrasson
Photography - 50 x 40 cm Photography - 19.7 x 15.7 inch
$2,890
Les 3 O
Claire Bonnet-Masimbert
Sculpture - 40 x 14.5 x 14.5 cm Sculpture - 15.7 x 5.7 x 5.7 inch
$2,774
Ballerina on a cube
Alex Radionov
Sculpture - 38 x 22 x 20 cm Sculpture - 15 x 8.7 x 7.9 inch
$6,473
Iconic Beauty #3
Benoit Lapray
Photography - 40 x 40 x 0.1 cm Photography - 15.7 x 15.7 x 0 inch
$694
Faces 1 & 2 Box with original screenprint stickers
Hush
Print - 30 x 45 cm Print - 11.8 x 17.7 inch
$925
Visage Brun-Bleu
Pablo Picasso
Sculpture - 30.5 x 38.1 x 2.5 cm Sculpture - 12 x 15 x 1 inch
$40,000
Pilgrimage of Hope
Artyom Manukyan
Sculpture - 34 x 34 x 3 cm Sculpture - 13.4 x 13.4 x 1.2 inch
$750 $638
The Brave Gascon (Based on A. Dumas's The Three Musketeers)
Bulat Valeriy
Painting - 50 x 40 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 15.7 x 0.8 inch
$694
Paradis perdu 9 - série portraits de femmes
Stéphane Vereecken
Photography - 40 x 30 x 2 cm Photography - 15.7 x 11.8 x 0.8 inch
$578
Portrait of Francis Picabia
Man Ray
Photography - 27 x 21 x 0.2 cm Photography - 10.6 x 8.3 x 0.1 inch
$36,988
Gently transformation
Trendafila Trendafilova
Painting - 30 x 24.5 x 2 cm Painting - 11.8 x 9.6 x 0.8 inch
$965
Mainbocher Corset. Paris. Printed later
Horst P. Horst
Photography - 35.6 x 27.9 x 0.3 cm Photography - 14 x 11 x 0.1 inch
$12,000
Eclosion
Alexandre Monteiro (Hopare)
Sculpture - 35 x 14 x 12 cm Sculpture - 13.8 x 5.5 x 4.7 inch
$11,559
Untitled (Reflection)
David Shrigley
Fine Art Drawings - 27.94 x 20.95 x 1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 11 x 8.2 x 0.4 inch
$8,500