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, Sans titre, Bram van Velde

Bram van Velde

Painting . 22 x 29 cm Painting . 8.7 x 11.4 inch

€30,000

Painting, Uiara, Yamandú Canosa

Yamandú Canosa

Painting . 36 x 48 x 0.1 cm Painting . 14.2 x 18.9 x 0 inch

€1,500

Fine Art Drawings, Grand loin, Pierre Touron

Pierre Touron

Fine Art Drawings . 50 x 40 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings . 19.7 x 15.7 x 0 inch

€800

Print, Les yeux, Hans Bellmer

Hans Bellmer

Print . 29 x 28 x 0.1 cm Print . 11.4 x 11 x 0 inch

€450

Sculpture, No! #1, Gang Chen

Gang Chen

Sculpture . 39 x 39 x 39 cm Sculpture . 15.4 x 15.4 x 15.4 inch

€4,000

Sculpture, Ced. 0323, Yves Tilly

Yves Tilly

Sculpture . 47 x 17 x 17 cm Sculpture . 18.5 x 6.7 x 6.7 inch

€1,800

Sculpture, Shawn, Nanan

Nanan

Sculpture . 29 x 18 x 19 cm Sculpture . 11.4 x 7.1 x 7.5 inch

€1,450

Sculpture, Grégoire, Agathe Daher

Agathe Daher

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

€3,000

Fine Art Drawings, Harmony of curves, Asya Fadeyeva

Asya Fadeyeva

Fine Art Drawings . 29.7 x 22.5 x 0.3 cm Fine Art Drawings . 11.7 x 8.9 x 0.1 inch

€1,000

Fine Art Drawings, Moses Soyer Daydream, Moses Soyer

Moses Soyer

Fine Art Drawings . 27.9 x 43.2 x 5.1 cm Fine Art Drawings . 11 x 17 x 2 inch

€3,948

Sculpture, Unity, Nnamdi Okonkwo

Nnamdi Okonkwo

Sculpture . 30.5 x 48.3 x 68.6 cm Sculpture . 12 x 19 x 27 inch

€9,368

Design, Holiday Singapore Grey, Kaws

Kaws

Design . 25.7 x 13 x 8.9 cm Design . 10.1 x 5.1 x 3.5 inch

€850

Painting, Evening, Nikolay Rusev

Nikolay Rusev

Painting . 45 x 33 x 2 cm Painting . 17.7 x 13 x 0.8 inch

€380

Fine Art Drawings, Ice Crime (1), Olivia Clavel

Olivia Clavel

Fine Art Drawings . 50 x 32 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings . 19.7 x 12.6 x 0 inch

€800

Fine Art Drawings, Untitled, Giulio Zanet

Giulio Zanet

Fine Art Drawings . 35 x 35 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings . 13.8 x 13.8 x 0 inch

€1,260

Painting, Friends, Kate Aksen

Kate Aksen

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

€1,750

Photography, Austin Road, Nathaniel Foster

Nathaniel Foster

Photography . 45 x 30 x 2 cm Photography . 17.7 x 11.8 x 0.8 inch

€2,200

Photography, Weary Grin, Ali Buhamad

Ali Buhamad

Photography . 50 x 40 x 5 cm Photography . 19.7 x 15.7 x 2 inch

€897

Fine Art Drawings, L'art de la joie, Clémence Wach

Clémence Wach

Fine Art Drawings . 27 x 35 x 0.5 cm Fine Art Drawings . 10.6 x 13.8 x 0.2 inch

€1,000

Fine Art Drawings, Untitled, Dev

Dev

Fine Art Drawings . 41 x 32 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings . 16.1 x 12.6 x 0 inch

€950

Photography, La tristeza, James Sparshatt

James Sparshatt

Photography . 50 x 40 x 0.1 cm Photography . 19.7 x 15.7 x 0 inch

€718

Fine Art Drawings, Drawing I, Nigel Howlett

Nigel Howlett

Fine Art Drawings . 26 x 20 x 1.3 cm Fine Art Drawings . 10.2 x 7.9 x 0.5 inch

€3,141

Photography, Jagger 1965, John Rowlands

John Rowlands

Photography . 50.8 x 40.6 x 5.1 cm Photography . 20 x 16 x 2 inch

€1,211

Sculpture, Friends, Xavers Bangura

Xavers Bangura

Sculpture . 35 x 28 x 10 cm Sculpture . 13.8 x 11 x 3.9 inch

€550

Fine Art Drawings, Swan_01, Helal Uddin

Helal Uddin

Fine Art Drawings . 30.5 x 40.6 x 0.3 cm Fine Art Drawings . 12 x 16 x 0.1 inch

€1,247

Print, Les Sabres, Arman

Arman

Print . 40 x 26 cm Print . 15.7 x 10.2 inch

€350

Painting, Pink Bowl, Gohar Goddard

Gohar Goddard

Painting . 41 x 41 x 2 cm Painting . 16.1 x 16.1 x 0.8 inch

€1,025

Painting, In the city, Anna Artemieva

Anna Artemieva

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

€449

Painting, Monochrom N92, Valerii

Valerii

Painting . 40 x 35 x 3 cm Painting . 15.7 x 13.8 x 1.2 inch

€1,750

Painting, Elbe, Ralph Resch

Ralph Resch

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

€500

Painting, Guerre, Taiyu Zhou

Taiyu Zhou

Painting . 48 x 45 x 1 cm Painting . 18.9 x 17.7 x 0.4 inch

€800

Painting, Sans titre II, Rong Su

Rong Su

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

€800

Painting, Untitled, Pietro Beretta

Pietro Beretta

Painting . 30 x 29 x 0.2 cm Painting . 11.8 x 11.4 x 0.1 inch

€750

Fine Art Drawings, Play A Simple Melody, Jay Russell

Jay Russell

Fine Art Drawings . 35.6 x 27.9 x 5.1 cm Fine Art Drawings . 14 x 11 x 2 inch

€2,154

Sculpture, Tête, Marc Petit

Marc Petit

Sculpture . 35 x 17 x 13 cm Sculpture . 13.8 x 6.7 x 5.1 inch

€4,200

Sculpture, Frères, Miguel Guía

Miguel Guía

Sculpture . 25 x 28 x 10 cm Sculpture . 9.8 x 11 x 3.9 inch

€980

Sculpture, Fleur de vie, Dirk De Keyzer

Dirk De Keyzer

Sculpture . 30 x 13 x 6 cm Sculpture . 11.8 x 5.1 x 2.4 inch

€4,800

Painting, Freddie, Edgar Plans

Edgar Plans

Painting . 30 x 30 x 5 cm Painting . 11.8 x 11.8 x 2 inch

€10,999

Fine Art Drawings, Montagne, J. Schranz

J. Schranz

Fine Art Drawings . 30 x 45.5 x 0.3 cm Fine Art Drawings . 11.8 x 17.9 x 0.1 inch

€915

Sculpture, Head 6, Martin James

Martin James

Sculpture . 26 x 14 x 14 cm Sculpture . 10.2 x 5.5 x 5.5 inch

€1,350

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