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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Print, Sarasvati, Valerio Adami

Valerio Adami

Print . 32 x 24 cm Print . 12.6 x 9.4 inch

€250

Painting, Schisme #4, Erwann Tirilly

Erwann Tirilly

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

€2,800

Sculpture, Amok, Bruno Cantais

Bruno Cantais

Sculpture . 36 x 33 x 26 cm Sculpture . 14.2 x 13 x 10.2 inch

€2,650

Sculpture, Face Steel Sculpture, Vyki

Vyki

Sculpture . 45 x 30 x 25 cm Sculpture . 17.7 x 11.8 x 9.8 inch

€3,200

Sculpture, On the wall, Beatrice Bizot

Beatrice Bizot

Sculpture . 29 x 22 x 7 cm Sculpture . 11.4 x 8.7 x 2.8 inch

€1,400

Print, Okonkwo, Caroline Chinakwe

Caroline Chinakwe

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

€9,029

Print, Planté-là, Levalet

Levalet

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

€160

Sculpture, Éphèbe, Roland Masson

Roland Masson

Sculpture . 45 x 10 x 10 cm Sculpture . 17.7 x 3.9 x 3.9 inch

€2,200

Painting, The Fall 5, Sam Guillemot

Sam Guillemot

Painting . 20.3 x 30.5 x 0.3 cm Painting . 8 x 12 x 0.1 inch

€800

Painting, New Strokes, Nathan Chantob

Nathan Chantob

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

€2,900

Painting, Nature, Michelle Gialanze

Michelle Gialanze

Painting . 30 x 20 x 0.1 cm Painting . 11.8 x 7.9 x 0 inch

€1,300

Print, Jim, C215

Jim

C215

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

€390

Fine Art Drawings, Broom, Martin Kippenberger

Martin Kippenberger

Fine Art Drawings . 50 x 40 x 1 cm Fine Art Drawings . 19.7 x 15.7 x 0.4 inch

€890

Sculpture, Bolide, Joel Arfi

Joel Arfi

Sculpture . 16 x 40 x 15 cm Sculpture . 6.3 x 15.7 x 5.9 inch

€1,500

Photography, lnvolucruM, Louis Blanc

Louis Blanc

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

€900

Fine Art Drawings, Prosper, Dominique Pourchet

Dominique Pourchet

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

€195

Photography, 26. Untitled, Larry Clark

Larry Clark

Photography . 19 x 28 x 0.1 cm Photography . 7.5 x 11 x 0 inch

€800

Photography, Men Working, Ken Heyman

Ken Heyman

Photography . 27.9 x 35.6 x 1.3 cm Photography . 11 x 14 x 0.5 inch

€4,306

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

Sculpture, Senza titolo, Sandro Chia

Sandro Chia

Sculpture . 41 x 42 x 25 cm Sculpture . 16.1 x 16.5 x 9.8 inch

€30,000

Painting, Hut of Hope, Desmond Akindoju

Desmond Akindoju

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

€1,301

Photography, Te veo, James Sparshatt

James Sparshatt

Photography . 35 x 35 x 1 cm Photography . 13.8 x 13.8 x 0.4 inch

€957 €862

Photography, Good Morning America, Rodrigo

Rodrigo

Photography . 26.7 x 40 x 0.1 cm Photography . 10.5 x 15.7 x 0 inch

€1,999

Print, Horace, Claude Weisbuch

Claude Weisbuch

Print . 32 x 25 x 0.2 cm Print . 12.6 x 9.8 x 0.1 inch

€200

Fine Art Drawings, Sans titre, Walter Ciandrini

Walter Ciandrini

Fine Art Drawings . 50 x 40 x 1 cm Fine Art Drawings . 19.7 x 15.7 x 0.4 inch

€600

Photography, No smoking, Zhao Bandi

Zhao Bandi

Photography . 50 x 50 cm Photography . 19.7 x 19.7 inch

€250

Sculpture, Le Minus, Alexandre Mijatovic

Alexandre Mijatovic

Sculpture . 26 x 10 x 10 cm Sculpture . 10.2 x 3.9 x 3.9 inch

€1,650

Sculpture, Tete, Béatrice Fernando

Béatrice Fernando

Sculpture . 28 x 20 x 11 cm Sculpture . 11 x 7.9 x 4.3 inch

€1,100

Fine Art Drawings, Untitled, Romain Duris

Romain Duris

Fine Art Drawings . 29.6 x 20.4 cm Fine Art Drawings . 11.7 x 8 inch

€2,000

Painting, Artistic Balance, Kunstrasen

Kunstrasen

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

€1,000

Fine Art Drawings, Portrait de Repin, David Burliuk

David Burliuk

Fine Art Drawings . 28.6 x 21 x 1 cm Fine Art Drawings . 11.3 x 8.3 x 0.4 inch

€5,000

Painting, Untitled, Enric Torres Prat

Enric Torres Prat

Painting . 46 x 38 x 2 cm Painting . 18.1 x 15 x 0.8 inch

€5,800

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

Painting, Portrait, Guy Ghazanchyan

Guy Ghazanchyan

Painting . 30 x 24 x 2 cm Painting . 11.8 x 9.4 x 0.8 inch

€800 €720

Painting, The Fall 4, Sam Guillemot

Sam Guillemot

Painting . 20.3 x 30.5 x 0.3 cm Painting . 8 x 12 x 0.1 inch

€1,000

Fine Art Drawings, Boy#5, Cigar, Dominique Dève

Dominique Dève

Fine Art Drawings . 29 x 21 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings . 11.4 x 8.3 x 0 inch

€200

Painting, Flowering, Rosa Maria Gallego

Rosa Maria Gallego

Painting . 35 x 45 x 3 cm Painting . 13.8 x 17.7 x 1.2 inch

€1,000

Fine Art Drawings, Untitled, Melchor Zapata

Melchor Zapata

Fine Art Drawings . 38 x 28 cm Fine Art Drawings . 15 x 11 inch

€850

Sculpture, Anonymous, Miguel Guía

Miguel Guía

Sculpture . 48 x 11.5 x 10 cm Sculpture . 18.9 x 4.5 x 3.9 inch

€1,140

Sculpture, Babyfoot 35cm, Idan Zareski

Idan Zareski

Sculpture . 44 x 30 x 35 cm Sculpture . 17.3 x 11.8 x 13.8 inch

€9,000