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, Mon Portrait, Ziv Lahat

Ziv Lahat

Painting . 45 x 45 x 3 cm Painting . 17.7 x 17.7 x 1.2 inch

€1,500

Fine Art Drawings, Femmes 25, Arancha Tejedor

Arancha Tejedor

Fine Art Drawings . 40 x 30 x 0.5 cm Fine Art Drawings . 15.7 x 11.8 x 0.2 inch

€160

Print, Manifeste, Fernand Léger

Fernand Léger

Print . 48 x 34 x 0.5 cm Print . 18.9 x 13.4 x 0.2 inch

€800

Painting, Le temps d'amour, Amphora

Amphora

Painting . 35 x 50 x 0.1 cm Painting . 13.8 x 19.7 x 0 inch

€400

Fine Art Drawings, Untitled (1), Jules Be Kuti

Jules Be Kuti

Fine Art Drawings . 30 x 40 x 1 cm Fine Art Drawings . 11.8 x 15.7 x 0.4 inch

€580

Painting, Suzette, Monica

Monica

Painting . 30 x 23 x 1 cm Painting . 11.8 x 9.1 x 0.4 inch

€224

Fine Art Drawings, Emanate, Kane Mclay

Kane Mclay

Fine Art Drawings . 45 x 35 x 1 cm Fine Art Drawings . 17.7 x 13.8 x 0.4 inch

€590

Print, Viene, Enzo Cucchi

Enzo Cucchi

Print . 30 x 30 cm Print . 11.8 x 11.8 inch

€300

Sculpture, Friche 1, Arko

Arko

Sculpture . 50 x 35 x 1.5 cm Sculpture . 19.7 x 13.8 x 0.6 inch

€900

Fine Art Drawings, Théorèmes #1, Nagsoul

Nagsoul

Fine Art Drawings . 22 x 32 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings . 8.7 x 12.6 x 0 inch

€800

Photography, Hot and fast, Shank Arte

Shank Arte

Photography . 30 x 20 x 1 cm Photography . 11.8 x 7.9 x 0.4 inch

€400

Painting, Hailstorm V, Mark Kellett

Mark Kellett

Painting . 49.5 x 49.5 x 1.3 cm Painting . 19.5 x 19.5 x 0.5 inch

€2,288

Sculpture, SHENSHEN, Guoyi Liu

Guoyi Liu

Sculpture . 40 x 15 x 12 cm Sculpture . 15.7 x 5.9 x 4.7 inch

€950

Painting, Je vois la vie en rose, Volt

Volt

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

€85

Painting, High Above, Timon Sloane

Timon Sloane

Painting . 40.6 x 30.5 x 1.3 cm Painting . 16 x 12 x 0.5 inch

€808

Painting, Woman at work, Julie Wende

Julie Wende

Painting . 40.6 x 30.5 x 0.8 cm Painting . 16 x 12 x 0.3 inch

€803

Painting, Cartagena, Maritza Bernal

Maritza Bernal

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

€1,200

Painting, Study, James Ulmer

James Ulmer

Painting . 30.48 x 22.86 x 2 cm Painting . 12 x 9 x 0.8 inch

€4,487

Painting, Fine fleur, Chatillon Aldehy

Chatillon Aldehy

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

€1,990

Painting, Sun 1, Valérie Butters

Valérie Butters

Painting . 48 x 48 x 2 cm Painting . 18.9 x 18.9 x 0.8 inch

€3,800

Fine Art Drawings, Untitled, Jean-Michel Atlan

Jean-Michel Atlan

Fine Art Drawings . 37 x 27 x 0.2 cm Fine Art Drawings . 14.6 x 10.6 x 0.1 inch

€15,000

Painting, L04PG2, Giovanni Corrêa

Giovanni Corrêa

Painting . 29.7 x 21 x 1 cm Painting . 11.7 x 8.3 x 0.4 inch

€500,000

Sculpture, Meeting, Yevgen Prymachenko

Yevgen Prymachenko

Sculpture . 20 x 37 x 22 cm Sculpture . 7.9 x 14.6 x 8.7 inch

€1,256

Painting, Field, Tetiana Chubukova

Tetiana Chubukova

Painting . 40 x 40 x 1.5 cm Painting . 15.7 x 15.7 x 0.6 inch

€897

Fine Art Drawings, Daily bread, Salamandra

Salamandra

Fine Art Drawings . 40 x 33 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings . 15.7 x 13 x 0 inch

€800

Fine Art Drawings, London, Jo Little

Jo Little

Fine Art Drawings . 40 x 30 x 0.01 cm Fine Art Drawings . 15.7 x 11.8 x 0 inch

€800

Print, Callaway, Ron Burns

Ron Burns

Print . 50.8 x 25.4 x 5.1 cm Print . 20 x 10 x 2 inch

€987

Painting, Yellow light, Galya Popova

Galya Popova

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

€1,450

Painting, Nina, Marta Lafuente

Marta Lafuente

Painting . 49 x 36 cm Painting . 19.3 x 14.2 inch

€850

Photography, Morse Kegel, Thomas Ruff

Thomas Ruff

Photography . 50 x 40 x 1 cm Photography . 19.7 x 15.7 x 0.4 inch

€1,390

Fine Art Drawings, Des racines au nectar, Oji

Oji

Fine Art Drawings . 50 x 40 cm Fine Art Drawings . 19.7 x 15.7 inch

€1,000

Painting, Continuum II, Tejinder Kanda

Tejinder Kanda

Painting . 46 x 36 x 3 cm Painting . 18.1 x 14.2 x 1.2 inch

€1,200

Painting, Water, Krzysztof Lozowski

Krzysztof Lozowski

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

€400

Painting, Spring begins, Nerza Villegas

Nerza Villegas

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

€1,300

Painting, Platja, Martínez Lozano

Martínez Lozano

Painting . 38 x 45 x 3 cm Painting . 15 x 17.7 x 1.2 inch

€3,200

Painting, Duo Ardente, CY Pavel

CY Pavel

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

€1,500

Painting, Sans titre, Romain Slocombe

Romain Slocombe

Painting . 29 x 30 x 1 cm Painting . 11.4 x 11.8 x 0.4 inch

€600

Painting, It seems Strange., Paul Ward

Paul Ward

Painting . 41.9 x 30.5 x 5.1 cm Painting . 16.5 x 12 x 2 inch

€2,017

Sculpture, Mickey LV S, Pierre Lamblin

Pierre Lamblin

Sculpture . 41 x 37 x 20 cm Sculpture . 16.1 x 14.6 x 7.9 inch

€1,499

Painting, Salpiglossis, Valeri Tsvetkov

Valeri Tsvetkov

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

€1,450

Sculpture, Tigre, Flow

Flow

Sculpture . 48 x 35 x 15 cm Sculpture . 18.9 x 13.8 x 5.9 inch

€800

Painting, Atoll au sud, Pascale Kosior

Pascale Kosior

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

€1,500

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

Painting, Hydrangea 1, Khrystyna Kozyuk

Khrystyna Kozyuk

Painting . 40 x 30 x 1.5 cm Painting . 15.7 x 11.8 x 0.6 inch

€2,160

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