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, Dansa XI, Pere Sala

Pere Sala

Sculpture . 40 x 43 x 22 cm Sculpture . 15.7 x 16.9 x 8.7 inch

€3,950

Painting, Crisis, Carmen Cañadas

Carmen Cañadas

Painting . 33.5 x 18.5 cm Painting . 13.2 x 7.3 inch

€1,250

Photography, 5. Untitled, Larry Clark

Larry Clark

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

€800

Fine Art Drawings, NR n°1, R. Cavalié

R. Cavalié

Fine Art Drawings . 40 x 30 x 0.3 cm Fine Art Drawings . 15.7 x 11.8 x 0.1 inch

€120

Painting, Le traversin, Michel Lablais

Michel Lablais

Painting . 42 x 31.5 x 6 cm Painting . 16.5 x 12.4 x 2.4 inch

€1,000

Sculpture, Ranador I, Manuel Mediavilla

Manuel Mediavilla

Sculpture . 35 x 20 x 20 cm Sculpture . 13.8 x 7.9 x 7.9 inch

€3,500

Sculpture, Piggyback, Dagmar Vogt

Dagmar Vogt

Sculpture . 42 x 11 x 10 cm Sculpture . 16.5 x 4.3 x 3.9 inch

€3,800

Painting, Close up #1, MorningCamille

MorningCamille

Painting . 50 x 50 x 0.5 cm Painting . 19.7 x 19.7 x 0.2 inch

€500

Photography, The Alignment., Ricky Cohete

Ricky Cohete

Photography . 29.2 x 45.7 x 0.3 cm Photography . 11.5 x 18 x 0.1 inch

€1,004

Painting, La bascule, Jade Mouge

Jade Mouge

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

€950

Painting, Adam, Irina Bast

Irina Bast

Painting . 40 x 30 x 1 cm Painting . 15.7 x 11.8 x 0.4 inch

€452

Painting, Glory, Christian Frederiksen

Christian Frederiksen

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

€1,600

Sculpture, P9, Paul Bosland

P9

Paul Bosland

Sculpture . 28 x 11 x 9 cm Sculpture . 11 x 4.3 x 3.5 inch

€2,150

Sculpture, P7, Paul Bosland

P7

Paul Bosland

Sculpture . 27 x 10 x 13 cm Sculpture . 10.6 x 3.9 x 5.1 inch

€2,150

Sculpture, P5, Paul Bosland

P5

Paul Bosland

Sculpture . 27 x 12 x 6 cm Sculpture . 10.6 x 4.7 x 2.4 inch

€2,150

Sculpture, P1, Paul Bosland

P1

Paul Bosland

Sculpture . 36 x 10 x 7 cm Sculpture . 14.2 x 3.9 x 2.8 inch

€2,150

Sculpture, El salto II, Amancio Gonzalez

Amancio Gonzalez

Sculpture . 43 x 15 x 57.5 cm Sculpture . 16.9 x 5.9 x 22.6 inch

€4,500

Photography, Kente 2, Anne-Laure Guéret

Anne-Laure Guéret

Photography . 45 x 30 x 1 cm Photography . 17.7 x 11.8 x 0.4 inch

€900

Painting, Pose Study, Lola Jamin

Lola Jamin

Painting . 41 x 30 x 0.5 cm Painting . 16.1 x 11.8 x 0.2 inch

€520

Sculpture, Homo Somnium, Philippe Rude

Philippe Rude

Sculpture . 32 x 26 x 20 cm Sculpture . 12.6 x 10.2 x 7.9 inch

€1,985

Sculpture, Ranador I, Manuel Mediavilla

Manuel Mediavilla

Sculpture . 35 x 20 x 20 cm Sculpture . 13.8 x 7.9 x 7.9 inch

€4,180

Sculpture, Harmonie, Yves Pires

Yves Pires

Sculpture . 39 x 31 x 27 cm Sculpture . 15.4 x 12.2 x 10.6 inch

€7,900

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

Sculpture, Deep water 1, Pencho Dobrev

Pencho Dobrev

Sculpture . 37 x 25 x 16 cm Sculpture . 14.6 x 9.8 x 6.3 inch

€4,400

Sculpture, Untitled 20, Boshra Mustafa

Boshra Mustafa

Sculpture . 37 x 11 x 3 cm Sculpture . 14.6 x 4.3 x 1.2 inch

€2,300

Sculpture, Divinité 6, Dasz Panda

Dasz Panda

Sculpture . 46 x 17 x 6 cm Sculpture . 18.1 x 6.7 x 2.4 inch

€600

Sculpture, Divinité 7, Dasz Panda

Dasz Panda

Sculpture . 43 x 16 x 6 cm Sculpture . 16.9 x 6.3 x 2.4 inch

€600

Photography, Precari deoS, Louis Blanc

Louis Blanc

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

€1,000

Print, Untitled, Romain Duris

Romain Duris

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

€500

Photography, DisSimuLaTiO, Louis Blanc

Louis Blanc

Photography . 30 x 30 x 1 cm Photography . 11.8 x 11.8 x 0.4 inch

€1,900

Sculpture, Coolfoot 50, Idan Zareski

Idan Zareski

Sculpture . 26 x 50 x 19 cm Sculpture . 10.2 x 19.7 x 7.5 inch

€7,500

Photography, DisSimuLaTiO, Louis Blanc

Louis Blanc

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

€2,000

Photography, Jimmy Page, Robert Knight

Robert Knight

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

€1,311

Fine Art Drawings, Male Figure in Blue, Kathleen Ney

Kathleen Ney

Fine Art Drawings . 35.6 x 43.2 x 2.5 cm Fine Art Drawings . 14 x 17 x 1 inch

€443

Fine Art Drawings, Plaque # 4, Pascal Marlin

Pascal Marlin

Fine Art Drawings . 30 x 20 x 0.3 cm Fine Art Drawings . 11.8 x 7.9 x 0.1 inch

€190

Fine Art Drawings, Plaque # 2, Pascal Marlin

Pascal Marlin

Fine Art Drawings . 30 x 20 x 0.3 cm Fine Art Drawings . 11.8 x 7.9 x 0.1 inch

€190

Print, Histoire d'O, Leonor Fini

Leonor Fini

Print . 38 x 28 x 0.05 cm Print . 15 x 11 x 0 inch

€650

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

Painting, Odysseus, Alexander Levich

Alexander Levich

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

€650

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