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, 13 juillet 1962, ElleK

ElleK

Painting . 50 x 40 x 3.7 cm Painting . 19.7 x 15.7 x 1.5 inch

€275

Photography, eco, Yan Carpenter

eco

Yan Carpenter

Photography . 40 x 50 cm Photography . 15.7 x 19.7 inch

€1,500

Painting, Abstrait, Marie Line Robert

Marie Line Robert

Painting . 40 x 30 x 1.5 cm Painting . 15.7 x 11.8 x 0.6 inch

€180

Painting, Seascape, Valeri Tsvetkov

Valeri Tsvetkov

Painting . 30 x 40 x 2 cm Painting . 11.8 x 15.7 x 0.8 inch

€850

Painting, Earth space III, Jen

Jen

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

€2,960

Fine Art Drawings, The Gaze, 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, Paysage 703, Xiu

Xiu

Painting . 49 x 19 x 1 cm Painting . 19.3 x 7.5 x 0.4 inch

€600

Fine Art Drawings, Sans titre, Kitty Sabatier

Kitty Sabatier

Fine Art Drawings . 49 x 31 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings . 19.3 x 12.2 x 0 inch

€1,500

Painting, Earth space II, Jen

Jen

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

€2,960

Print, Otage, Pierre Dmitrienko

Pierre Dmitrienko

Print . 50 x 50 x 0.1 cm Print . 19.7 x 19.7 x 0 inch

€400

Painting, The Portrait, Ya-Wei Li

Ya-Wei Li

Painting . 45 x 35 x 4 cm Painting . 17.7 x 13.8 x 1.6 inch

€2,000

Painting, Divine fleur, Christy

Christy

Painting . 45 x 31 x 1 cm Painting . 17.7 x 12.2 x 0.4 inch

€1,050

Painting, Storm, Tetiana Chubukova

Tetiana Chubukova

Painting . 50 x 50 x 1.8 cm Painting . 19.7 x 19.7 x 0.7 inch

€1,648

Painting, Only Forward, Olga Tsyhypko

Olga Tsyhypko

Painting . 40 x 40 x 1.8 cm Painting . 15.7 x 15.7 x 0.7 inch

€430

Painting, For You!, Lee Yu Min

Lee Yu Min

Painting . 32 x 42 x 4 cm Painting . 12.6 x 16.5 x 1.6 inch

€380

Painting, Neptune, Sofiane Benyahia

Sofiane Benyahia

Painting . 27 x 19 x 2 cm Painting . 10.6 x 7.5 x 0.8 inch

€3,360

Painting, Brant Point, David Sipko

David Sipko

Painting . 27.9 x 35.6 x 2 cm Painting . 11 x 14 x 0.8 inch

€778

Painting, Hidden Story 24., Petr Strnad

Petr Strnad

Painting . 41.7 x 31.8 x 0.1 cm Painting . 16.4 x 12.5 x 0 inch

€310

Photography, Effluve 4, Charlotte Brunstein

Charlotte Brunstein

Photography . 49.51 x 42 x 0.1 cm Photography . 19.5 x 16.5 x 0 inch

€990

Painting, Regard lointain, Christy

Christy

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

€820

Painting, Hip Hop, Tarek

Tarek

Painting . 50 x 50 x 2 cm Painting . 19.7 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch

€750

Photography, Le tourbillon, Catherine Fabre

Catherine Fabre

Photography . 40 x 30 x 0.1 cm Photography . 15.7 x 11.8 x 0 inch

€450

Fine Art Drawings, Skull art, Tarek

Tarek

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

€250

Fine Art Drawings, Château, Hermann Paul

Hermann Paul

Fine Art Drawings . 32 x 25.5 x 0.3 cm Fine Art Drawings . 12.6 x 10 x 0.1 inch

€400

Fine Art Drawings, Untitled 269, Tarek Butayhi

Tarek Butayhi

Fine Art Drawings . 35 x 50 cm Fine Art Drawings . 13.8 x 19.7 inch

€950

Painting, West, Elizabeth Becker

Elizabeth Becker

Painting . 30.5 x 40.6 x 0.3 cm Painting . 12 x 16 x 0.1 inch

€233

Painting, L'orage arrive, Dam Domido

Dam Domido

Painting . 33 x 41 x 1 cm Painting . 13 x 16.1 x 0.4 inch

€640

Fine Art Drawings, Sans titre, Matthieu Dorval

Matthieu Dorval

Fine Art Drawings . 26 x 18 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings . 10.2 x 7.1 x 0 inch

€580

Painting, Rose Symphony, Kamo Atoyan

Kamo Atoyan

Painting . 40 x 30 x 2 cm Painting . 15.7 x 11.8 x 0.8 inch

€275

Painting, First green, Simon Kozhin

Simon Kozhin

Painting . 20.2 x 28 x 0.3 cm Painting . 8 x 11 x 0.1 inch

€2,400