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, Head, Sirio Pellegrini

Sirio Pellegrini

Sculpture . 27 x 20 x 16 cm Sculpture . 10.6 x 7.9 x 6.3 inch

€3,400

Painting, Autumnal  II, Nelli Tsenova

Nelli Tsenova

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

€920

Painting, Untitled, Anton Lamazares

Anton Lamazares

Painting . 33 x 22 cm Painting . 13 x 8.7 inch

€1,250

Sculpture, Koi, Ron Zohar

Koi

Ron Zohar

Sculpture . 46 x 16 x 18 cm Sculpture . 18.1 x 6.3 x 7.1 inch

€5,400

Painting, 11:23, Francois Priser

Francois Priser

Painting . 40 x 40 x 1 cm Painting . 15.7 x 15.7 x 0.4 inch

€1,200

Sculpture, Woman and Bird, Milko Dobrev

Milko Dobrev

Sculpture . 29.5 x 11 x 6 cm Sculpture . 11.6 x 4.3 x 2.4 inch

€1,350

Design, Iris, Isabelle Hirtzig

Isabelle Hirtzig

Design . 42 x 30 x 0.1 cm Design . 16.5 x 11.8 x 0 inch

€215

Painting, Evening tea, Ganna Prymakova

Ganna Prymakova

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

€1,193

Painting, Our World II, Yuguang Yang

Yuguang Yang

Painting . 40 x 40 cm Painting . 15.7 x 15.7 inch

€3,500

Sculpture, Bias II, Roby Dwi Antono

Roby Dwi Antono

Sculpture . 24.5 x 29 x 26 cm Sculpture . 9.6 x 11.4 x 10.2 inch

€9,300

Painting, Pors scaff, Jacques Coquillay

Jacques Coquillay

Painting . 48 x 48 x 0.5 cm Painting . 18.9 x 18.9 x 0.2 inch

€1,500

Painting, Fruits, J. Asensio

J. Asensio

Painting . 38 x 47 x 2 cm Painting . 15 x 18.5 x 0.8 inch

€1,000

Painting, Bauformen, Wolfgang Leber

Wolfgang Leber

Painting . 24 x 29.8 x 0.2 cm Painting . 9.4 x 11.7 x 0.1 inch

€900

Painting, LV, Sun7

LV

Sun7

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

€2,500

Painting, Trying to relax, Barry Wilson

Barry Wilson

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

€1,702

Painting, Muse, Julie Wende

Julie Wende

Painting . 45.7 x 30.5 x 5.1 cm Painting . 18 x 12 x 2 inch

€797

Painting, Groundswell, Matthew Dibble

Matthew Dibble

Painting . 38.1 x 30.5 x 2.5 cm Painting . 15 x 12 x 1 inch

€1,593

Painting, Seaward, Susan C

Susan C

Painting . 44.5 x 44.5 x 3 cm Painting . 17.5 x 17.5 x 1.2 inch

€1,015

Fine Art Drawings, Elegance, Vermibus

Vermibus

Fine Art Drawings . 27 x 26 x 0.5 cm Fine Art Drawings . 10.6 x 10.2 x 0.2 inch

€900

Photography, Borrowed Time, Brooke Shaden

Brooke Shaden

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

€2,400

Painting, Serenity, Lau Vago

Lau Vago

Painting . 50 x 50 cm Painting . 19.7 x 19.7 inch

€1,900

Print, Zébu, Alexis Gorodine

Alexis Gorodine

Print . 35.5 x 37.5 cm Print . 14 x 14.8 inch

€150

Painting, Julietta, Segreba Amadeo

Segreba Amadeo

Painting . 50 x 32 x 1 cm Painting . 19.7 x 12.6 x 0.4 inch

€1,550

Painting, Ships, Bruno Croatto

Bruno Croatto

Painting . 43 x 44 x 1 cm Painting . 16.9 x 17.3 x 0.4 inch

€3,500

Sculpture, Astérion, Christian Hevin

Christian Hevin

Sculpture . 30 x 25 x 20 cm Sculpture . 11.8 x 9.8 x 7.9 inch

€3,900

Painting, Untitled, Jacques Pajak

Jacques Pajak

Painting . 36 x 49 x 0.1 cm Painting . 14.2 x 19.3 x 0 inch

€4,800

Painting, Boat, Avtandil Modebadze

Avtandil Modebadze

Painting . 35 x 45 x 2 cm Painting . 13.8 x 17.7 x 0.8 inch

€900

Sculpture, Sixty, Lieven D'Haese

Lieven D'Haese

Sculpture . 28 x 30 x 14 cm Sculpture . 11 x 11.8 x 5.5 inch

€3,600

Sculpture, Aclyde, Eric Vialla

Eric Vialla

Sculpture . 36 x 18 x 18 cm Sculpture . 14.2 x 7.1 x 7.1 inch

€1,300

Painting, Voice of Morning, Itay Magen

Itay Magen

Painting . 50 x 50 x 2.5 cm Painting . 19.7 x 19.7 x 1 inch

€901

Sculpture, Bison, Erik Ebeling

Erik Ebeling

Sculpture . 24 x 33 x 18 cm Sculpture . 9.4 x 13 x 7.1 inch

€2,276

Painting, The Pewter Vase, Robert LeMar

Robert LeMar

Painting . 40.6 x 50.8 x 2.5 cm Painting . 16 x 20 x 1 inch

€1,010

Painting, Sans titre, Raoul Hausman

Raoul Hausman

Painting . 38 x 27 x 0.1 cm Painting . 15 x 10.6 x 0 inch

€3,500

Painting, View of Bass Rock, Mike Hall

Mike Hall

Painting . 37 x 30 x 1 cm Painting . 14.6 x 11.8 x 0.4 inch

€967

Painting, Lap of the Wave, Lorna Kirin

Lorna Kirin

Painting . 39 x 49 x 2 cm Painting . 15.4 x 19.3 x 0.8 inch

€881

Painting, Sabot - 1, Manuela Ferreira

Manuela Ferreira

Painting . 40 x 30 x 2.5 cm Painting . 15.7 x 11.8 x 1 inch

€230

Painting, Orbita 13, Marta Zaragoza

Marta Zaragoza

Painting . 50 x 35 x 3 cm Painting . 19.7 x 13.8 x 1.2 inch

€720

Sculpture, Grâce, Grégoire Slavu

Grégoire Slavu

Sculpture . 36 x 32 x 31 cm Sculpture . 14.2 x 12.6 x 12.2 inch

€3,700

Print, Ledger Line, Babak Emanuel

Babak Emanuel

Print . 35.6 x 35.6 x 1.9 cm Print . 14 x 14 x 0.75 inch

€1,365

Sculpture, Face2Face, David Sagnier

David Sagnier

Sculpture . 50 x 15 x 0.8 cm Sculpture . 19.7 x 5.9 x 0.3 inch

€1,200

Sculpture, Mini Skate Totem, Tarek

Tarek

Sculpture . 43 x 12.5 x 2 cm Sculpture . 16.9 x 4.9 x 0.8 inch

€230

Painting, Tete Ours, Hervé Maury

Hervé Maury

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

€800