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, Ocres Rouges, Eurgal

Eurgal

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

€1,200

Painting, Sky, Simon Kozhin

Sky

Simon Kozhin

Painting . 40 x 50 x 0.3 cm Painting . 15.7 x 19.7 x 0.1 inch

€8,700

Print, Le Bassin, Marie Deforche

Marie Deforche

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

€220

Painting, Spring, Adam Burczyc

Adam Burczyc

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

€980

Painting, Landscape, Areg Vahramyan

Areg Vahramyan

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

€1,500 €1,350

Painting, Sans titre, Matthieu Dorval

Matthieu Dorval

Painting . 33 x 41 x 2 cm Painting . 13 x 16.1 x 0.8 inch

€1,200

Painting, Hanami 3, Kerstin Paillard

Kerstin Paillard

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

€1,500

Painting, Port, Kovalenko Ivan

Kovalenko Ivan

Painting . 20 x 30 x 2 cm Painting . 7.9 x 11.8 x 0.8 inch

€210

Painting, Gardasee, Richard Fuchs

Richard Fuchs

Painting . 26.5 x 42.8 x 0.5 cm Painting . 10.4 x 16.9 x 0.2 inch

€1,452

Photography, Entrelazar 202, Javier Rey

Javier Rey

Photography . 50 x 39 x 0.3 cm Photography . 19.7 x 15.4 x 0.1 inch

€808

Painting, Sea side, Mira Vitarello

Mira Vitarello

Painting . 22.9 x 27.9 x 2.5 cm Painting . 9 x 11 x 1 inch

€1,265

Photography, Shore break, Antoine Rose

Antoine Rose

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

€2,200

Fine Art Drawings, Fin de journée, Linda Clerget

Linda Clerget

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

€500

Painting, North West, Richard K Blades

Richard K Blades

Painting . 30.8 x 30.8 x 1 cm Painting . 12.1 x 12.1 x 0.4 inch

€1,193

Painting, Away, Nicolas Ruelle

Nicolas Ruelle

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

€320

Painting, At the Threshold, Vera Hoi

Vera Hoi

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

€600

Painting, La porteuse, Michel Rauscher

Michel Rauscher

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

€1,100

Painting, Partly cloudy, Galya Popova

Galya Popova

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

€960

Painting, Solitude, Alfredo Vannotti

Alfredo Vannotti

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

€964

Painting, Sans titre, Matthieu Dorval

Matthieu Dorval

Painting . 41 x 33 x 1 cm Painting . 16.1 x 13 x 0.4 inch

€1,200

Painting, Towards Cley, Richard K Blades

Richard K Blades

Painting . 30.8 x 30.8 x 1 cm Painting . 12.1 x 12.1 x 0.4 inch

€1,193

Painting, Cargos, Yannis Markantonakis

Yannis Markantonakis

Painting . 27 x 36 x 2 cm Painting . 10.6 x 14.2 x 0.8 inch

€2,500

Painting, Herald, Yaroslav Savchyn

Yaroslav Savchyn

Painting . 30 x 22 x 2 cm Painting . 11.8 x 8.7 x 0.8 inch

€270

Painting, La La Land, Amy Bernays

Amy Bernays

Painting . 40.6 x 50.8 x 1.5 cm Painting . 16 x 20 x 0.6 inch

€968

Painting, Divine Love, Lanre Studio

Lanre Studio

Painting . 47 x 47 x 1.9 cm Painting . 18.5 x 18.5 x 0.7 inch

€650

Fine Art Drawings, Beek - 23-06-24, Corné Akkers

Corné Akkers

Fine Art Drawings . 21.1 x 29.7 x 0.3 cm Fine Art Drawings . 8.3 x 11.7 x 0.1 inch

€1,445

Painting, Salty Air II, Karen Hale

Karen Hale

Painting . 50.8 x 50.8 x 3.8 cm Painting . 20 x 20 x 1.5 inch

€1,099

Photography, #6, Nicolas Fontas

#6

Nicolas Fontas

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

€150

Painting, Sunset No2, Elena Petrova

Elena Petrova

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

€341