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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Painting, L'hiver, Valérie Betoulaud

Valérie Betoulaud

Painting . 42 x 29.5 x 1 cm Painting . 16.5 x 11.6 x 0.4 inch

€680

Sculpture, A tree, Liutauras Grieze

Liutauras Grieze

Sculpture . 20 x 28 x 28 cm Sculpture . 7.9 x 11 x 11 inch

€1,900

Painting, Depth, Weronika Dylag

Weronika Dylag

Painting . 40 x 40 x 4 cm Painting . 15.7 x 15.7 x 1.6 inch

€800

Fine Art Drawings, Penthesilea, Peter Hofmann

Peter Hofmann

Fine Art Drawings . 30 x 40 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings . 11.8 x 15.7 x 0 inch

€1,000

Painting, Nativo Andaman, M. Muro

M. Muro

Painting . 40 x 40 x 2 cm Painting . 15.7 x 15.7 x 0.8 inch

€2,000

Painting, Untitled, Mansour El Habre

Mansour El Habre

Painting . 30 x 21 x 0.5 cm Painting . 11.8 x 8.3 x 0.2 inch

€800

Sculpture, Rust 03 (1), Bruno Chiapello

Bruno Chiapello

Sculpture . 27 x 12 x 12 cm Sculpture . 10.6 x 4.7 x 4.7 inch

€1,150

Painting, Autumnal seas 2, Paul B

Paul B

Painting . 50 x 50 x 4 cm Painting . 19.7 x 19.7 x 1.6 inch

€996

Sculpture, Amazonas, Javier de la Rosa

Javier de la Rosa

Sculpture . 29 x 20 x 124 cm Sculpture . 11.4 x 7.9 x 48.8 inch

€6,038

Sculpture, Nike, Milko Dobrev

Milko Dobrev

Sculpture . 27 x 7 x 5 cm Sculpture . 10.6 x 2.8 x 2 inch

€1,150

Painting, Volant, Mike Ellis

Mike Ellis

Painting . 50 x 50 x 5 cm Painting . 19.7 x 19.7 x 2 inch

€1,449

Sculpture, Attente, Ousmane Dermé

Ousmane Dermé

Sculpture . 27 x 11 x 10 cm Sculpture . 10.6 x 4.3 x 3.9 inch

€1,400

Design, Small Lie Brown, Kaws

Kaws

Design . 28 x 4.5 x 5.5 cm Design . 11 x 1.8 x 2.2 inch

€700

Painting, Tolerance, Gilbert Pauli

Gilbert Pauli

Painting . 25 x 27 x 2 cm Painting . 9.8 x 10.6 x 0.8 inch

€1,352

Sculpture, Scrap Bird II, ByLuka

ByLuka

Sculpture . 35 x 25 x 15 cm Sculpture . 13.8 x 9.8 x 5.9 inch

€1,180

Painting, Lutte animale, Denis Miau

Denis Miau

Painting . 30 x 30 x 2 cm Painting . 11.8 x 11.8 x 0.8 inch

€1,200

Painting, Bones, Weronika Dylag

Weronika Dylag

Painting . 40 x 40 x 4 cm Painting . 15.7 x 15.7 x 1.6 inch

€800

Painting, Sans, Matthieu Fappani

Matthieu Fappani

Painting . 29 x 29 x 3 cm Painting . 11.4 x 11.4 x 1.2 inch

€400 €300

Fine Art Drawings, Brown creature, CJ Pyle

CJ Pyle

Fine Art Drawings . 27 x 21 cm Fine Art Drawings . 10.6 x 8.3 inch

€2,500

Photography, L'ancien temps, Marick

Marick

Photography . 40 x 40 x 1 cm Photography . 15.7 x 15.7 x 0.4 inch

€350

Sculpture, Lionne, Jean Lemonnier

Jean Lemonnier

Sculpture . 17 x 47 x 23 cm Sculpture . 6.7 x 18.5 x 9.1 inch

€6,000

Painting, Abstract, Font Díaz

Font Díaz

Painting . 35 x 27 x 2 cm Painting . 13.8 x 10.6 x 0.8 inch

€700

Sculpture, Llaut boat, David Sagnier

David Sagnier

Sculpture . 23 x 30 x 0.3 cm Sculpture . 9.1 x 11.8 x 0.1 inch

€600

Fine Art Drawings, Self-Portrait, Dean Tavoularis

Dean Tavoularis

Fine Art Drawings . 35 x 28 x 1 cm Fine Art Drawings . 13.8 x 11 x 0.4 inch

€1,000

Fine Art Drawings, Revolver, Lucio Forte

Lucio Forte

Fine Art Drawings . 33 x 24 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings . 13 x 9.4 x 0 inch

€90

Sculpture, Twist, Lili P

Lili P

Sculpture . 29 x 32 x 17 cm Sculpture . 11.4 x 12.6 x 6.7 inch

€1,208

Painting, Au bureau, Marc Dailly

Marc Dailly

Painting . 30 x 24 x 2 cm Painting . 11.8 x 9.4 x 0.8 inch

€1,600

Print, Digigraphie JIM, C215

C215

Print . 50 x 40 x 0.2 cm Print . 19.7 x 15.7 x 0.1 inch

€490

Sculpture, Ògún, Erik Ebeling

Erik Ebeling

Sculpture . 43 x 20 x 20 cm Sculpture . 16.9 x 7.9 x 7.9 inch

€2,552

Photography, Tunnel, Feng Hatat

Feng Hatat

Photography . 30 x 45 x 1 cm Photography . 11.8 x 17.7 x 0.4 inch

€500

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