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, ex nihilo, Charles Belle

Charles Belle

Painting . 50 x 50 x 3.5 cm Painting . 19.7 x 19.7 x 1.4 inch

€10,000

Painting, Ex nihilo, Charles Belle

Charles Belle

Painting . 50 x 50 x 3.5 cm Painting . 19.7 x 19.7 x 1.4 inch

€10,000

Painting, Ex nihilo, Charles Belle

Charles Belle

Painting . 50 x 50 x 3.5 cm Painting . 19.7 x 19.7 x 1.4 inch

€10,000

Painting, Arbres, ShuJie Wang

ShuJie Wang

Painting . 30 x 21 cm Painting . 11.8 x 8.3 inch

€190

Painting, The Pool, Irfan Ajvazi

Irfan Ajvazi

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

€2,000

Painting, Landscape, Mitko Dimitrov

Mitko Dimitrov

Painting . 41 x 27 x 2 cm Painting . 16.1 x 10.6 x 0.8 inch

€480

Painting, A hint at autumn, Pol Ledent

Pol Ledent

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

€350

Painting, Sunlight, Pol Ledent

Pol Ledent

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

€350

Fine Art Drawings, By the stream, Maksym Kisilov

Maksym Kisilov

Fine Art Drawings . 34.8 x 49.8 x 2.5 cm Fine Art Drawings . 13.7 x 19.6 x 1 inch

€814

Painting, Yard, Richard Szkutnik

Richard Szkutnik

Painting . 35.6 x 40.6 x 0.5 cm Painting . 14 x 16 x 0.2 inch

€967

Painting, Blue, Lorena Fonsato

Lorena Fonsato

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

€400

Painting, Pathway, Sergiy A.

Sergiy A.

Painting . 28 x 39 x 2 cm Painting . 11 x 15.4 x 0.8 inch

€255

Painting, Street, Sergiy A.

Sergiy A.

Painting . 27 x 37 x 2 cm Painting . 10.6 x 14.6 x 0.8 inch

€255

Painting, Sun, Oleksandr Khrapachov

Sun

Oleksandr Khrapachov

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

€452

Painting, Winter Lavra, Ivan Pylypenko

Ivan Pylypenko

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

€452

Painting, Autumn, Olga Mozul

Olga Mozul

Painting . 35 x 40 x 2 cm Painting . 13.8 x 15.7 x 0.8 inch

€633

Painting, High water, Ivan Pylypenko

Ivan Pylypenko

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

€315

Painting, Warm summer, Ivan Pylypenko

Ivan Pylypenko

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

€316

Painting, Pont, Manuela Ferreira

Manuela Ferreira

Painting . 40 x 50 x 2.5 cm Painting . 15.7 x 19.7 x 1 inch

€280 €266

Painting, Summer, Ivan Pylypenko

Ivan Pylypenko

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

€316

Painting, Five and One, Timon Sloane

Timon Sloane

Painting . 30.5 x 30.5 x 1.3 cm Painting . 12 x 12 x 0.5 inch

€610

Painting, Fish Camp, Melinda Patrick

Melinda Patrick

Painting . 25.4 x 50.8 x 3.8 cm Painting . 10 x 20 x 1.5 inch

€425

Fine Art Drawings, Arbre pin parasol, Karin Boinet

Karin Boinet

Fine Art Drawings . 29.7 x 21 x 0.01 cm Fine Art Drawings . 11.7 x 8.3 x 0 inch

€620

Fine Art Drawings, Mimbeau le Phare, Karin Boinet

Karin Boinet

Fine Art Drawings . 29.7 x 21 cm Fine Art Drawings . 11.7 x 8.3 inch

€620

Painting, Devenir, Lori Bagnérès

Lori Bagnérès

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

€267

Painting, Sur mesure, Isabelle Hirtzig

Isabelle Hirtzig

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

€175

Painting, Evening, Mitko Dimitrov

Mitko Dimitrov

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

€449

Painting, Woodpile (1), Yuriy Demiyanov

Yuriy Demiyanov

Painting . 40 x 50 x 3 cm Painting . 15.7 x 19.7 x 1.2 inch

€2,700

Fine Art Drawings, Kuskovo estate, Simon Kozhin

Simon Kozhin

Fine Art Drawings . 21 x 28.2 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings . 8.3 x 11.1 x 0 inch

€2,800

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