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, N°17, Masayoshi Hanawa

Masayoshi Hanawa

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

€750

Fine Art Drawings, Fading Red, tizlu

tizlu

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

€800

Fine Art Drawings, Abandonnée, Odona Bones

Odona Bones

Fine Art Drawings . 40 x 29 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings . 15.7 x 11.4 x 0 inch

€3,000

Painting, 3FD-17, Martin Singer

Martin Singer

Painting . 35 x 35 x 3.5 cm Painting . 13.8 x 13.8 x 1.4 inch

€560

Fine Art Drawings, Spiritual Realm 3, Shui Qiu

Shui Qiu

Fine Art Drawings . 42 x 42 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings . 16.5 x 16.5 x 0 inch

€897

Print, Tiger, Rebecca Whitewood

Rebecca Whitewood

Print . 30 x 25 x 2 cm Print . 11.8 x 9.8 x 0.8 inch

€1,900

Photography, J'arrive chez moi, Marick

Marick

Photography . 40 x 50 x 1 cm Photography . 15.7 x 19.7 x 0.4 inch

€400

Print, Silence, Joan Miró

Joan Miró

Print . 31.1 x 23.2 x 0.1 cm Print . 12.2 x 9.1 x 0 inch

€6,000

Painting, Pink Panam, Gripe

Gripe

Painting . 38 x 38 x 1 cm Painting . 15 x 15 x 0.4 inch

€400

Print, A toy II, Slasky

Slasky

Print . 40 x 40 x 0.5 cm Print . 15.7 x 15.7 x 0.2 inch

€690

Fine Art Drawings, Tramway, Anna Wardega

Anna Wardega

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

€200

Painting, Spring, Mea Ambrozo

Mea Ambrozo

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

€3,200

Sculpture, Gucci, Naor

Naor

Sculpture . 35 x 30 x 17 cm Sculpture . 13.8 x 11.8 x 6.7 inch

€1,190

Painting, Vert d'espoir, Jazzu

Jazzu

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

€1,050

Sculpture, Horn man, Phineas Masaya

Phineas Masaya

Sculpture . 35 x 30 x 10 cm Sculpture . 13.8 x 11.8 x 3.9 inch

€520

Painting, Sans titre, Ray Smith

Ray Smith

Painting . 27 x 19 x 0.1 cm Painting . 10.6 x 7.5 x 0 inch

€900

Fine Art Drawings, Portrait, Serge Fontinsky

Serge Fontinsky

Fine Art Drawings . 35.5 x 23.6 x 0.3 cm Fine Art Drawings . 14 x 9.3 x 0.1 inch

€580

Print, Dancer, Theodore Stravinsky

Theodore Stravinsky

Print . 45 x 32 x 0.1 cm Print . 17.7 x 12.6 x 0 inch

€1,600

Fine Art Drawings, Au cirque, Quentin Badran

Quentin Badran

Fine Art Drawings . 42 x 29.7 x 0.02 cm Fine Art Drawings . 16.5 x 11.7 x 0 inch

€3,200

Sculpture, N°461, Maxime Plancque

Maxime Plancque

Sculpture . 30 x 8 x 8 cm Sculpture . 11.8 x 3.1 x 3.1 inch

€970

Print, Depart (Animated), Imbue

Imbue

Print . 35 x 49.9 x 0.3 cm Print . 13.8 x 19.6 x 0.1 inch

€600

Sculpture, C0125, Guillermina Espasandin

Guillermina Espasandin

Sculpture . 40 x 43 x 2 cm Sculpture . 15.7 x 16.9 x 0.8 inch

€2,800

Photography, Untitled, Enrique Seguí

Enrique Seguí

Photography . 30 x 45 x 0.1 cm Photography . 11.8 x 17.7 x 0 inch

€600

Painting, Élan Solaire, Maria Ruisi

Maria Ruisi

Painting . 49.9 x 49.9 x 3 cm Painting . 19.6 x 19.6 x 1.2 inch

€900

Design, Franken Berry (Black), Kaws

Kaws

Design . 29 x 16 x 12.7 cm Design . 11.4 x 6.3 x 5 inch

€600

Print, Giant, Peter Blake

Peter Blake

Print . 26 x 21.5 x 0.1 cm Print . 10.2 x 8.5 x 0 inch

€600

Sculpture, Peches, XBO Art

XBO Art

Sculpture . 41 x 12 x 12 cm Sculpture . 16.1 x 4.7 x 4.7 inch

€1,250

Painting, Noir miroir nr 002, Kardesch

Kardesch

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

€950

Sculpture, Cheval, Thierry Pelletier

Thierry Pelletier

Sculpture . 43 x 30 x 17 cm Sculpture . 16.9 x 11.8 x 6.7 inch

€4,500

Painting, Sans titre, Esmaël Bahrani

Esmaël Bahrani

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

€1,100

Painting, Untitled, Alwin Degen

Alwin Degen

Painting . 40 x 30 x 1.2 cm Painting . 15.7 x 11.8 x 0.5 inch

€1,250

Painting, Listen to the Wind, Jojo Wang

Jojo Wang

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

€1,900

Fine Art Drawings, Série noire, Nagsoul

Nagsoul

Fine Art Drawings . 40 x 40 cm Fine Art Drawings . 15.7 x 15.7 inch

€1,000

Print, The Fire, Gu Yuan

Gu Yuan

Print . 28 x 21.5 x 0.2 cm Print . 11 x 8.5 x 0.1 inch

€7,900

Sculpture, Abstraction Noire, Costa

Costa

Sculpture . 40 x 30 x 4 cm Sculpture . 15.7 x 11.8 x 1.6 inch

€1,600

Sculpture, Doppio, Manon Oller

Manon Oller

Sculpture . 49 x 25 x 17 cm Sculpture . 19.3 x 9.8 x 6.7 inch

€750

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