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, Joie, Sylvie Eudes

Sylvie Eudes

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

€1,600

Painting, Color guides me, Calat

Calat

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

€625

Print, L'envie, Leonor Fini

Leonor Fini

Print . 41 x 33 x 0.01 cm Print . 16.1 x 13 x 0 inch

€350

Painting, Remnant I, Jen

Jen

Painting . 40 x 40 x 5 cm Painting . 15.7 x 15.7 x 2 inch

€2,051

Painting, Spring portal, Lark Pilinsky

Lark Pilinsky

Painting . 40 x 50 x 4 cm Painting . 15.7 x 19.7 x 1.6 inch

€1,500

Print, Russian Cut, Stinkfish

Stinkfish

Print . 33 x 25 x 0.1 cm Print . 13 x 9.8 x 0 inch

€590

Painting, Peonies, Olga Ponomarenko

Olga Ponomarenko

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

€1,440

Fine Art Drawings, Frenchie Etude 3, Julia Shilo

Julia Shilo

Fine Art Drawings . 21 x 30 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings . 8.3 x 11.8 x 0 inch

€1,800

Sculpture, Eomycota, Andrew Foley

Andrew Foley

Sculpture . 33 x 20 x 10 cm Sculpture . 13 x 7.9 x 3.9 inch

€3,800

Photography, Grande rue, Bogdan Kotewicz

Bogdan Kotewicz

Photography . 50 x 40 x 0.3 cm Photography . 19.7 x 15.7 x 0.1 inch

€820

Fine Art Drawings, The Kiss, Mino Maccari

Mino Maccari

Fine Art Drawings . 35 x 50 x 0.2 cm Fine Art Drawings . 13.8 x 19.7 x 0.1 inch

€800

Painting, Veliky Ustyug, Simon Kozhin

Simon Kozhin

Painting . 12 x 29.4 x 0.3 cm Painting . 4.7 x 11.6 x 0.1 inch

€2,800

Fine Art Drawings, Femmes 26, Arancha Tejedor

Arancha Tejedor

Fine Art Drawings . 40 x 30 x 0.5 cm Fine Art Drawings . 15.7 x 11.8 x 0.2 inch

€160

Painting, White Grace, Ara Gasparyan

Ara Gasparyan

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

€630

Painting, The Bow, Marian Williams

Marian Williams

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

€250

Sculpture, Vigoureux, Anne Millot

Anne Millot

Sculpture . 32 x 16 x 12 cm Sculpture . 12.6 x 6.3 x 4.7 inch

€1,000

Photography, Le Chapelier fou, Kahem

Kahem

Photography . 40 x 26.66 x 0.3 cm Photography . 15.7 x 10.5 x 0.1 inch

€462

Sculpture, Anticipation, Kamo Aloyan

Kamo Aloyan

Sculpture . 27 x 49 x 10 cm Sculpture . 10.6 x 19.3 x 3.9 inch

€3,600

Sculpture, 254. Miro, Bernard Pras

Bernard Pras

Sculpture . 46 x 38 x 15 cm Sculpture . 18.1 x 15 x 5.9 inch

€14,000

Sculpture, Masque, Mélanie Bourget

Mélanie Bourget

Sculpture . 42 x 24 x 20 cm Sculpture . 16.5 x 9.4 x 7.9 inch

€470

Fine Art Drawings, Codex-tour, Bernard Métranve

Bernard Métranve

Fine Art Drawings . 41.5 x 30 x 0.2 cm Fine Art Drawings . 16.3 x 11.8 x 0.1 inch

€420

Photography, Karaoke, Camille Levert

Camille Levert

Photography . 50 x 50 x 7 cm Photography . 19.7 x 19.7 x 2.8 inch

€5,500

Sculpture, Giacometti Man, Spaco

Spaco

Sculpture . 31 x 18 x 6 cm Sculpture . 12.2 x 7.1 x 2.4 inch

€260

Painting, Camouflage, Thierry Bronchart

Thierry Bronchart

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

€2,100

Fine Art Drawings, Frenchie Etude 2, Julia Shilo

Julia Shilo

Fine Art Drawings . 21 x 30 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings . 8.3 x 11.8 x 0 inch

€1,800

Sculpture, Pink Widow, Lucie De Syracuse

Lucie De Syracuse

Sculpture . 50 x 34.5 x 15.5 cm Sculpture . 19.7 x 13.6 x 6.1 inch

€1,900

Print, The Three of Us, Samy Briss

Samy Briss

Print . 47.5 x 36 x 0.5 cm Print . 18.7 x 14.2 x 0.2 inch

€306

Fine Art Drawings, Looking at Each Other, Becky Lam

Becky Lam

Fine Art Drawings . 15.5 x 43 x 0.2 cm Fine Art Drawings . 6.1 x 16.9 x 0.1 inch

€3,300

Painting, Cloudy Day, Eter Merkviladze

Eter Merkviladze

Painting . 40 x 30 x 3 cm Painting . 15.7 x 11.8 x 1.2 inch

€750

Painting, Untitled, Jacques Pajak

Jacques Pajak

Painting . 42 x 27 x 0.1 cm Painting . 16.5 x 10.6 x 0 inch

€4,800

Fine Art Drawings, Oratorium, Albert Gonzalo

Albert Gonzalo

Fine Art Drawings . 45 x 38 cm Fine Art Drawings . 17.7 x 15 inch

€2,500

Painting, Frida Kahlo, Tony Rubino

Tony Rubino

Painting . 38.1 x 50.8 x 5.1 cm Painting . 15 x 20 x 2 inch

€1,663

Fine Art Drawings, Homer's Head, David Sipko

David Sipko

Fine Art Drawings . 30.5 x 22.9 x 0.3 cm Fine Art Drawings . 12 x 9 x 0.1 inch

€265

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