Small works of art offer a lot of hidden versatility for art lovers.
If you’re looking to add a new work of art to your home or office, buying small is an easy win, but sometimes art buyers overlook the inherent benefits of smaller works. Maybe you’ve perceived a small work as possessing less value or impact. Contrary to their size, small works have an inherent air of preciousness that can make them something more special than a larger artwork. Their reduced proportions allow for easy handling and passing along to others as gifts, and from a practical stand point, you’re less like to break your back moving them between rooms. Below are 5 more great reasons you might consider buying a small artwork:
1. You’re New to an Artist’s Work
Art buying is one of the few areas in commerce where you can actually build a relationship with the maker of your purchase. It can also be an expensive buy, so it makes sense to want to get to know a little more about an artist before committing deeply. In this context, a small work acts like a sample allowing you to get a taste of the artist’s work before committing yourself to a larger meal.
2. You Live in a Small Space
If space is at a premium, it doesn’t bar you from indulging in the joy of decorating your dwelling. While it might take a little more planning, small quarters can be creatively enhanced with just the right accents. Where a larger wall or room challenges you to fill it with more work, small spaces can be pulled together with one, perfectly selected piece. Explore small-scale artworks and follow artists who make them so you can see all the possibilities.
3. You Have a Small Art Buying Budget
Art buyers sometimes assume that a limited budget means reproductions or framed posters are the only real options available to them, however there are many artists producing small-scale original artworks that perfectly match a smaller budget. As a collector, you may find that buying small artworks allows you to eventually create a more expansive and impressive collection than if you’d purchased fewer, larger pieces. And another great bonus, especially if you are an international art buyer, the cost of shipping will be far less than if you purchased a larger work.
4. You can Group Small Works Together for Impact
Multiple works hung in a group make quite an impact and allow you more creative control over the final presentation. Just by choosing how you arrange a group of small pieces together, you can effectively create a new artwork.
5. Feel Connected with History
Diminutive works of art, particularly paintings, are part of a tradition that has roots in various cultures dating back hundred years. In Western culture the act of painting small-scale can trace its roots to Medieval illuminated text. With the current popularization of down-sized living, tiny paintings and other small works of art have experienced a resurgence, making this Old World practice once again on-trend.
Click here to explore my own contribution to the small works tradition.
