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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Sculpture, L.o.v.e, Maurizio Cattelan

Maurizio Cattelan

Sculpture - 40 x 18 x 18 cm Sculpture - 15.7 x 7.1 x 7.1 inch

$1,589

Painting, Running, Olga Anashkina

Olga Anashkina

Painting - 27 x 19 x 4 cm Painting - 10.6 x 7.5 x 1.6 inch

$900

Painting, Marble Arch, Marco Araldi

Marco Araldi

Painting - 36 x 36 x 3 cm Painting - 14.2 x 14.2 x 1.2 inch

$814

Sculpture, Sphere 25/1, Jean-No

Jean-No

Sculpture - 30 x 30 x 30 cm Sculpture - 11.8 x 11.8 x 11.8 inch

$2,261

Painting, Trou, Ben

Ben

Painting - 50 x 50 x 1 cm Painting - 19.7 x 19.7 x 0.4 inch

$1,821

Painting, Abstract-3125, Ludoroy

Ludoroy

Painting - 40 x 30 x 0.1 cm Painting - 15.7 x 11.8 x 0 inch

$794

Sculpture, Marigold, Ana Montoya

Ana Montoya

Sculpture - 27 x 27 x 6 cm Sculpture - 10.6 x 10.6 x 2.4 inch

$794

Sculpture, Samurai, Milcheva Emilia

Milcheva Emilia

Sculpture - 19 x 33 x 8 cm Sculpture - 7.5 x 13 x 3.1 inch

$428

Painting, Untitled, James Fieramosca

James Fieramosca

Painting - 50 x 50 x 3 cm Painting - 19.7 x 19.7 x 1.2 inch

$2,322

Sculpture, Snowfall, Olga Tiho

Olga Tiho

Sculpture - 28 x 34 x 14 cm Sculpture - 11 x 13.4 x 5.5 inch

$600 $540

Sculpture, Sans titre, Bault

Bault

Sculpture - 38 x 29 x 4 cm Sculpture - 15 x 11.4 x 1.6 inch

$1,406

Painting, Apollo, Luka Bartoli

Luka Bartoli

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

$1,711

Sculpture, Bunny, Olga Anashkina

Olga Anashkina

Sculpture - 36 x 20 x 4 cm Sculpture - 14.2 x 7.9 x 1.6 inch

$1,200 $1,080

Sculpture, No Smoking, Abdessemed Adel

Abdessemed Adel

Sculpture - 7.3 x 26.6 x 0.8 cm Sculpture - 2.9 x 10.5 x 0.3 inch

$5,867

Sculpture, Flamenco, Michèle Chast

Michèle Chast

Sculpture - 46 x 26 x 25 cm Sculpture - 18.1 x 10.2 x 9.8 inch

$5,500

Design, Toadstool, Gabriela Noelle

Gabriela Noelle

Design - 49 x 49 x 49 cm Design - 19.3 x 19.3 x 19.3 inch

$2,261

Painting, Pull, Richard Lindner

Richard Lindner

Painting - 33 x 34 x 1 cm Painting - 13 x 13.4 x 0.4 inch

$22,001

Sculpture, Fish, Irakli Tsuladze

Irakli Tsuladze

Sculpture - 20 x 36 x 12 cm Sculpture - 7.9 x 14.2 x 4.7 inch

$2,200

Painting, Paysage bleu 5, Hei Yue

Hei Yue

Painting - 45 x 45 x 1 cm Painting - 17.7 x 17.7 x 0.4 inch

$3,056

Painting, Exodus #6, Dimitar Solakov

Dimitar Solakov

Painting - 30 x 20 x 2 cm Painting - 11.8 x 7.9 x 0.8 inch

$1,308

Painting, Pink Horse, Su Bin Lim

Su Bin Lim

Painting - 40.9 x 27.3 x 3 cm Painting - 16.1 x 10.7 x 1.2 inch

$978

Fine Art Drawings, Aimer, Fanny Gosse

Fanny Gosse

Fine Art Drawings - 32 x 24 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 12.6 x 9.4 x 0 inch

$428

Sculpture, Frutta mista, GiFoArs

GiFoArs

Sculpture - 10 x 40 x 40 cm Sculpture - 3.9 x 15.7 x 15.7 inch

$611

Fine Art Drawings, Monarch, Rilda Paco

Rilda Paco

Fine Art Drawings - 40 x 30 cm Fine Art Drawings - 15.7 x 11.8 inch

$831

Sculpture, Elea, Giulio Paolini

Giulio Paolini

Sculpture - 48.5 x 48.5 x 8.5 cm Sculpture - 19.1 x 19.1 x 3.3 inch

$2,811

Fine Art Drawings, Natural Flow, Dimitar Solakov

Dimitar Solakov

Fine Art Drawings - 31 x 23 x 0.2 cm Fine Art Drawings - 12.2 x 9.1 x 0.1 inch

$1,406

Photography, Aftermath, Fiona Tan

Fiona Tan

Photography - 32.5 x 47.5 x 0.1 cm Photography - 12.8 x 18.7 x 0 inch

$3,667

Sculpture, Wrapped, Ciara O'Keeffe

Ciara O'Keeffe

Sculpture - 43 x 30 x 30 cm Sculpture - 16.9 x 11.8 x 11.8 inch

$1,467

Sculpture, Spash chocolat, Maxwell

Maxwell

Sculpture - 26 x 24 x 21 cm Sculpture - 10.2 x 9.4 x 8.3 inch

$2,567

Photography, Artichoke II, Shine Huang

Shine Huang

Photography - 50.8 x 40.6 x 0.3 cm Photography - 20 x 16 x 0.1 inch

$1,800