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…

Read more
Sculpture, Trapezi BII, Pere Sala

Pere Sala

Sculpture . 50 x 20 x 10 cm Sculpture . 19.7 x 7.9 x 3.9 inch

€2,200

Painting, Bart Attack, Onemizer

Onemizer

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

€2,950

Sculpture, Didimiss, Guoyi Liu

Guoyi Liu

Sculpture . 40 x 15 x 12 cm Sculpture . 15.7 x 5.9 x 4.7 inch

€950

Painting, Lemons 24, Rafal Gadowski

Rafal Gadowski

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

€1,100

Fine Art Drawings, Emanate, Kane Mclay

Kane Mclay

Fine Art Drawings . 45 x 35 x 1 cm Fine Art Drawings . 17.7 x 13.8 x 0.4 inch

€590 €531

Painting, Rainbow skull, M.Cros

M.Cros

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

€1,500

Painting, Aquarelle, Julien Raynaud

Julien Raynaud

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

€750

Photography, ?-13052024, Songlin Ji

Songlin Ji

Photography . 20 x 30 x 0.4 cm Photography . 7.9 x 11.8 x 0.2 inch

€900

Painting, Apparences, Shank Arte

Shank Arte

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

€1,360

Painting, Aura, C215

C215

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

€3,800

Sculpture, Candelabra, Genesis Belanger

Genesis Belanger

Sculpture . 28 x 19 x 12.7 cm Sculpture . 11 x 7.5 x 5 inch

€10,633

Print, Together, Brian Calvin

Brian Calvin

Print . 50 x 41.7 x 1.25 cm Print . 19.7 x 16.4 x 0.5 inch

€2,288

Fine Art Drawings, Untitled, Jules Be Kuti

Jules Be Kuti

Fine Art Drawings . 30 x 40 x 1 cm Fine Art Drawings . 11.8 x 15.7 x 0.4 inch

€580

Painting, Yellow glow, Mea Ambrozo

Mea Ambrozo

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

€2,200 €1,980

Print, Mother and child, Sorren

Sorren

Print . 43 x 27 x 2 cm Print . 16.9 x 10.6 x 0.8 inch

€900

Sculpture, Sukuta 2/8, Corinne Chauvet

Corinne Chauvet

Sculpture . 40 x 33 x 12 cm Sculpture . 15.7 x 13 x 4.7 inch

€9,000

Painting, La demoiselle III, Kaige Yang

Kaige Yang

Painting . 50 x 30 x 1 cm Painting . 19.7 x 11.8 x 0.4 inch

€1,600

Painting, A Big Pear, Giorgi Melikidze

Giorgi Melikidze

Painting . 40.1 x 40.2 x 2 cm Painting . 15.8 x 15.8 x 0.8 inch

€1,500

Painting, Suzette, Monica

Monica

Painting . 30 x 23 x 1 cm Painting . 11.8 x 9.1 x 0.4 inch

€229

Painting, Woman at work, Julie Wende

Julie Wende

Painting . 40.6 x 30.5 x 0.8 cm Painting . 16 x 12 x 0.3 inch

€819

Print, Untitled, Yasser Safi

Yasser Safi

Print . 35 x 50 cm Print . 13.8 x 19.7 inch

€1,050

Painting, Salvador, Christelle Bauduin

Christelle Bauduin

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

€700

Painting, Nina, Marta Lafuente

Marta Lafuente

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

€850

Painting, Yellow light, Galya Popova

Galya Popova

Painting . 50 x 40 x 2 cm Painting . 19.7 x 15.7 x 0.8 inch

€1,450

Fine Art Drawings, London, Jo Little

Jo Little

Fine Art Drawings . 40 x 30 x 0.01 cm Fine Art Drawings . 15.7 x 11.8 x 0 inch

€800

Painting, Lavanderas, Maritza Bernal

Maritza Bernal

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

€1,200

Painting, Study, James Ulmer

James Ulmer

Painting . 30.48 x 22.86 x 2 cm Painting . 12 x 9 x 0.8 inch

€4,577

Fine Art Drawings, Untitled (1), Jules Be Kuti

Jules Be Kuti

Fine Art Drawings . 30 x 40 x 1 cm Fine Art Drawings . 11.8 x 15.7 x 0.4 inch

€580

Photography, Morse Kegel, Thomas Ruff

Thomas Ruff

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

€1,390

Fine Art Drawings, Queen 12345, Kim Soo Young

Kim Soo Young

Fine Art Drawings . 38 x 38 x 3 cm Fine Art Drawings . 15 x 15 x 1.2 inch

€1,200

Design, Iris, Isabelle Hirtzig

Isabelle Hirtzig

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

€215