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, 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, Smash, Hugues Candaës

Hugues Candaës

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

€860

Painting, Cha 5, Cha Sun

Cha Sun

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

€920

Painting, Totem boy, Iryna Gragera

Iryna Gragera

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

€1,000

Print, BW50406, André Nadal

André Nadal

Print . 50 x 50 x 0.7 cm Print . 19.7 x 19.7 x 0.3 inch

€1,200

Painting, Breathe, Pompilio Gianluca

Pompilio Gianluca

Painting . 37 x 24 x 1 cm Painting . 14.6 x 9.4 x 0.4 inch

€850

Sculpture, LA C.A.P. One, Mitch Richmond

Mitch Richmond

Sculpture . 27 x 18 x 15 cm Sculpture . 10.6 x 7.1 x 5.9 inch

€1,200

Sculpture, Snake II, Pere Aragay

Pere Aragay

Sculpture . 50 x 20 x 25 cm Sculpture . 19.7 x 7.9 x 9.8 inch

€2,500

Painting, Chanoir x Nasty, Chanoir

Chanoir

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

€3,600

Sculpture, Gaza, Luc Borell

Luc Borell

Sculpture . 48 x 23 x 23 cm Sculpture . 18.9 x 9.1 x 9.1 inch

€1,500

Sculpture, Solar Pulse, Liza Altman

Liza Altman

Sculpture . 38.6 x 38.6 x 4.6 cm Sculpture . 15.2 x 15.2 x 1.8 inch

€2,120

Print, Earth, François Boisrond

François Boisrond

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

€1,000

Sculpture, Assiette, Takashi Murakami

Takashi Murakami

Sculpture . 20 x 37 x 0.5 cm Sculpture . 7.9 x 14.6 x 0.2 inch

€900

Fine Art Drawings, B241, Tarek Butayhi

Tarek Butayhi

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

€900

Sculpture, Fishing Time, Vanessa Renoux

Vanessa Renoux

Sculpture . 50 x 20 x 16 cm Sculpture . 19.7 x 7.9 x 6.3 inch

€2,400

Painting, Red Tulip, Hunt Slonem

Hunt Slonem

Painting . 25.4 x 20.3 cm Painting . 10 x 8 inch

€7,500

Painting, Chameleon, Craig Moran

Craig Moran

Painting . 35.6 x 45.7 x 2.5 cm Painting . 14 x 18 x 1 inch

€945

Painting, Fragile, Patrick Blondeau

Patrick Blondeau

Painting . 40 x 33 x 2 cm Painting . 15.7 x 13 x 0.8 inch

€1,690

Painting, Beach day, Ivo Petrov

Ivo Petrov

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

€950

Design, Richy Duck, Alec Monopoly

Alec Monopoly

Design . 30.5 x 13 x 8 cm Design . 12 x 5.1 x 3.1 inch

€1,990

Fine Art Drawings, Silhouettes 13, Anastacia Kevich

Anastacia Kevich

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

€1,325

Painting, 99 Luftballons, Toctoc

Toctoc

Painting . 29.7 x 21 x 0.01 cm Painting . 11.7 x 8.3 x 0 inch

€1,050

Painting, Portrait 1, Christophe Hohler

Christophe Hohler

Painting . 30 x 30 x 8 cm Painting . 11.8 x 11.8 x 3.1 inch

€2,000

Sculpture, Space 030, Lee Song Joon

Lee Song Joon

Sculpture . 30.5 x 30.5 x 35.6 cm Sculpture . 12 x 12 x 14 inch

€6,184

Painting, On the cloud, Jia Yuan Hua

Jia Yuan Hua

Painting . 30 x 24 x 4 cm Painting . 11.8 x 9.4 x 1.6 inch

€1,600

Painting, Composition 15, Shahram Nabati

Shahram Nabati

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

€600 €540

Painting, Rescate, Cristina Ortiz

Cristina Ortiz

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

€2,200

Print, Cruising, Beryl Cook

Beryl Cook

Print . 45 x 45 x 0.2 cm Print . 17.7 x 17.7 x 0.1 inch

€1,084

Print, Untitled, Tadaaki Kuwayama

Tadaaki Kuwayama

Print . 31.4 x 40.7 x 0.1 cm Print . 12.4 x 16 x 0 inch

€1,000

Painting, Aldgate East, David Walker

David Walker

Painting . 39 x 35 cm Painting . 15.4 x 13.8 inch

€1,144

Fine Art Drawings, Love is Blind, Guillaume Piot

Guillaume Piot

Fine Art Drawings . 50 x 50 cm Fine Art Drawings . 19.7 x 19.7 inch

€1,300

Print, 3NIT, Louis Bottero

Louis Bottero

Print . 50 x 30 cm Print . 19.7 x 11.8 inch

€600

Painting, M_MS_04, Isabela Puga

Isabela Puga

Painting . 25 x 35 x 4 cm Painting . 9.8 x 13.8 x 1.6 inch

€1,050

Print, Kitchen Diva, Elvira Bach

Elvira Bach

Print . 49 x 34 x 0.5 cm Print . 19.3 x 13.4 x 0.2 inch

€1,807

Painting, Sans titre, Jean Fautrier

Jean Fautrier

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

€15,000

Painting, Luxuriate, Ashlynn Browning

Ashlynn Browning

Painting . 45.7 x 35.6 x 5.1 cm Painting . 18 x 14 x 2 inch

€964

Painting, Resonance V, Susan L

Susan L

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

€1,608

Fine Art Drawings, Tuesday, Dean Tavoularis

Dean Tavoularis

Fine Art Drawings . 31 x 22 x 1 cm Fine Art Drawings . 12.2 x 8.7 x 0.4 inch

€900

Painting, Barcelone, August Von Siegen

August Von Siegen

Painting . 18.8 x 28.8 x 2 cm Painting . 7.4 x 11.3 x 0.8 inch

€1,035

Sculpture, Baobab, Richard Pommier

Richard Pommier

Sculpture . 34 x 20 x 10 cm Sculpture . 13.4 x 7.9 x 3.9 inch

€950

Fine Art Drawings, Portrait, André Derain

André Derain

Fine Art Drawings . 35 x 27 x 1 cm Fine Art Drawings . 13.8 x 10.6 x 0.4 inch

€2,000

Painting, Juicy Cut, Gevorg Sinanyan

Gevorg Sinanyan

Painting . 24 x 30 x 0.3 cm Painting . 9.4 x 11.8 x 0.1 inch

€795 €636

Painting, NotWithstanding, Kris Haas

Kris Haas

Painting . 50.8 x 40.6 x 2 cm Painting . 20 x 16 x 0.8 inch

€897

Painting, 18A3, Yang Youpeng

Yang Youpeng

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

€2,650

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