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, Mademoiselle 49, Kaige Yang

Kaige Yang

Painting . 50 x 30 x 1 cm Painting . 19.7 x 11.8 x 0.4 inch

€1,500

Painting, Mademoiselle 42, Kaige Yang

Kaige Yang

Painting . 50 x 30 x 1 cm Painting . 19.7 x 11.8 x 0.4 inch

€1,500

Painting, Printemps 9, Qiong qiong Shao

Qiong qiong Shao

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

€1,400

Fine Art Drawings, Sans titre 4, Enric Cormenzana

Enric Cormenzana

Fine Art Drawings . 24 x 29 x 0.2 cm Fine Art Drawings . 9.4 x 11.4 x 0.1 inch

€300

Painting, Mademoiselle 29, Kaige Yang

Kaige Yang

Painting . 50 x 30 x 1 cm Painting . 19.7 x 11.8 x 0.4 inch

€1,500

Painting, Mademoiselle 28, Kaige Yang

Kaige Yang

Painting . 50 x 30 x 1 cm Painting . 19.7 x 11.8 x 0.4 inch

€1,500

Painting, La demoiselle II, Kaige Yang

Kaige Yang

Painting . 50 x 30 x 1 cm Painting . 19.7 x 11.8 x 0.4 inch

€1,800

Painting, Vieux murs, Véro Mazurek

Véro Mazurek

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

€600

Fine Art Drawings, Wroclaw, Mariusz Szalajdewicz

Mariusz Szalajdewicz

Fine Art Drawings . 30 x 32 cm Fine Art Drawings . 11.8 x 12.6 inch

€200

Painting, Head#02, Olesya Gonserovskaya

Olesya Gonserovskaya

Painting . 41.5 x 30 x 0.1 cm Painting . 16.3 x 11.8 x 0 inch

€450

Painting, Orthogonal, Claude Carretta

Claude Carretta

Painting . 35 x 25 x 1 cm Painting . 13.8 x 9.8 x 0.4 inch

€250

Fine Art Drawings, Bremer Ansicht, Yulia Pugacheva

Yulia Pugacheva

Fine Art Drawings . 29 x 21 x 0.01 cm Fine Art Drawings . 11.4 x 8.3 x 0 inch

€280

Fine Art Drawings, Entre el pantano, Carlos Velilla

Carlos Velilla

Fine Art Drawings . 46 x 36 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings . 18.1 x 14.2 x 0 inch

€1,400

Painting, Salon IlI, Juan Li

Juan Li

Painting . 44 x 23 x 1 cm Painting . 17.3 x 9.1 x 0.4 inch

€700

Painting, Basel, Albert Alís

Albert Alís

Painting . 24 x 33 cm Painting . 9.4 x 13 inch

€375

Fine Art Drawings, Winter in Bratsevo, Simon Kozhin

Simon Kozhin

Fine Art Drawings . 21.5 x 30 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings . 8.5 x 11.8 x 0 inch

€2,800

Painting, Lily, Elizabeth Becker

Elizabeth Becker

Painting . 50.8 x 40.6 x 0.3 cm Painting . 20 x 16 x 0.1 inch

€269

Painting, Falcon, Elizabeth Becker

Elizabeth Becker

Painting . 40.6 x 50.8 x 0.3 cm Painting . 16 x 20 x 0.1 inch

€341

Fine Art Drawings, …Where you are, Blu_451

Blu_451

Fine Art Drawings . 29 x 20 x 1 cm Fine Art Drawings . 11.4 x 7.9 x 0.4 inch

€400

Painting, Bleak, Elizabeth Becker

Elizabeth Becker

Painting . 38.1 x 27.9 x 0.3 cm Painting . 15 x 11 x 0.1 inch

€206

Painting, Realm, Elizabeth Becker

Elizabeth Becker

Painting . 50.8 x 40.6 x 0.3 cm Painting . 20 x 16 x 0.1 inch

€269

Painting, Fervor, Elizabeth Becker

Elizabeth Becker

Painting . 50.8 x 40.6 x 0.3 cm Painting . 20 x 16 x 0.1 inch

€206

Painting, Flowers, Stanislav Bojankov

Stanislav Bojankov

Painting . 47 x 35 x 0.1 cm Painting . 18.5 x 13.8 x 0 inch

€400 €360

Fine Art Drawings, Avocado, Tatiana Denisova

Tatiana Denisova

Fine Art Drawings . 42 x 29.5 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings . 16.5 x 11.6 x 0 inch

€565

Fine Art Drawings, Weightless, Marina Lukianova

Marina Lukianova

Fine Art Drawings . 32 x 32 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings . 12.6 x 12.6 x 0 inch

€807

Painting, My Son !, Noël Granger

Noël Granger

Painting . 29 x 21 cm Painting . 11.4 x 8.3 inch

€120

Painting, Mon aigle !, Noël Granger

Noël Granger

Painting . 29 x 21 x 0.1 cm Painting . 11.4 x 8.3 x 0 inch

€120

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