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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Workday Conversations
Gegham Hunanyan
Painting - 50 x 40 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 15.7 x 0.8 inch
$350
Le dernier soleil 4
Emmanuel Régent
Painting - 50 x 50 x 0.3 cm Painting - 19.7 x 19.7 x 0.1 inch
$1,907
Lumière noire
Jacques Villeglé
Sculpture - 29.2 x 14.5 x 14.5 cm Sculpture - 11.5 x 5.7 x 5.7 inch
$11,325
Stroll in the Jungle
Svetli Evgeniev
Painting - 40 x 30 x 0.1 cm Painting - 15.7 x 11.8 x 0 inch
$805
Sculpture Calligraphie Bleue
VanBinh
Sculpture - 26 x 12 x 5 cm Sculpture - 10.2 x 4.7 x 2 inch
$656
Sans titre
Ladislas Kijno
Fine Art Drawings - 40 x 32 x 0.05 cm Fine Art Drawings - 15.7 x 12.6 x 0 inch
$3,338
Horizontal and Vertical Movements #1. From The Rectangular Composition Series
Almo
Painting - 34.8 x 24.9 x 0.3 cm Painting - 13.7 x 9.8 x 0.1 inch
$800
Emotion 20200530
Yaki Li
Fine Art Drawings - 29.7 x 21 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 11.7 x 8.3 x 0 inch
$221
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
$268
Die weiße Frau - Druckedition
Brigitte Witzer
Print - 43 x 37 x 0.1 cm Print - 16.9 x 14.6 x 0 inch
$1,133
Chocolate Factory & Crazy Sunset
Marion Sagon
Print - 40 x 30 x 0.5 cm Print - 15.7 x 11.8 x 0.2 inch
$227
Sans titre - série Abstraction
Ronan-Pol Morel
Painting - 50 x 50 x 4 cm Painting - 19.7 x 19.7 x 1.6 inch
$830
Mick Jagger - Le poing - London - Derniers tirages
Pierre Terrasson
Photography - 50 x 40 cm Photography - 19.7 x 15.7 inch
$2,980
Lefkara Village
July Kinart (Prykina)
Painting - 50 x 40 x 0.3 cm Painting - 19.7 x 15.7 x 0.1 inch
$1,073
La Vierge Marie, Wonder Woman
Alben
Sculpture - 50 x 15 x 10 cm Sculpture - 19.7 x 5.9 x 3.9 inch
$3,338
Sans titre
Gérard Schneider
Fine Art Drawings - 41 x 32 x 0.05 cm Fine Art Drawings - 16.1 x 12.6 x 0 inch
$8,941 $8,047
Umbra series 16
Rodrigo Zuliani Hauck Zampol
Sculpture - 39.9 x 30 x 2.8 cm Sculpture - 15.7 x 11.8 x 1.1 inch
$1,300
Ballerina on a cube
Alex Radionov
Sculpture - 38 x 22 x 20 cm Sculpture - 15 x 8.7 x 7.9 inch
$6,676
Les cathédrales de la mer - Série
Bernard-Marie Lauté
Painting - 29 x 20 cm Painting - 11.4 x 7.9 inch
$596
Reflections of the Port
Mariam Dashtoyan
Painting - 30 x 40 x 2 cm Painting - 11.8 x 15.7 x 0.8 inch
$1,500
Sans titre
Menashe Kadishman
Fine Art Drawings - 30 x 40 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 11.8 x 15.7 x 0 inch
$477 $381
Sunset Over The Meadow
Nikolay Dmitriev
Painting - 25 x 30 x 0.3 cm Painting - 9.8 x 11.8 x 0.1 inch
$954
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
$954
Élémentaire turquoise
Françoise Langlois
Sculpture - 40 x 25 x 25 cm Sculpture - 15.7 x 9.8 x 9.8 inch
$834
Le Rhinocéros Bleu
Changzheng Zhu
Sculpture - 14 x 35 x 12 cm Sculpture - 5.5 x 13.8 x 4.7 inch
$834
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
$2,861
Lace mandala
Maria Tuzhilkina
Painting - 39.9 x 39.9 x 4.1 cm Painting - 15.7 x 15.7 x 1.6 inch
$650
Composition abstraite
Marcel Mouly
Painting - 35 x 33.3 x 0.1 cm Painting - 13.8 x 13.1 x 0 inch
$14,306
Photo painting combine I
Juan Jose Hoyos Quiles
Painting - 30.5 x 40.6 x 5.1 cm Painting - 12 x 16 x 2 inch
$870
Joy of Life (sculpture on table mirror)
Erte Tirtoff
Sculpture - 25.4 x 44.5 x 31.8 cm Sculpture - 10 x 17.5 x 12.5 inch
$2,450
