Miniature art has entered the giant cultural world of Paris, with a new exhibition "Small is Beautiful" at the Galerie-Joseph, displaying miniscule masterpieces from 20 internationally renowned artists. 

Many have made a name for themselves by sharing photos of their pieces on social media platforms such as Twitter and Instagram. The #miniatureart hashtag has millions of posts under it but the art form has existed since the ancient Egyptian times, influencing dolls and modern model making. This exhibition is the first time many miniature art lovers in Europe will be able to admire such works in person. 

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Serge Victoria, the organizer of the exhibition, says one of the main purposes of the show is "to be able to give the public the chance to discover the work in real life. 

"That's the difference between looking at an Instagram post, which conveys some emotion, but when you go and see the work, the emotion is multiplied. It's really about getting inside the screen and seeing the work in real life."

Painter and illustrator Nicolas Pierre recreates famous districts of Paris in small frontages and is one of the artists who will have his work on display at the exhibition.

"This is a model of buildings in Saint-Ouen, not far from where I live. A group of buildings that will be destroyed quite soon and which will be replaced by a modern building. It's the first piece I made three years ago, when I started making them again and it was important to me to make these buildings. It's not very far, it's 500 meters from here."

Working from photographs he takes himself or from Google Street View, he aims to reproduce reality as closely as possible, as well as giving the locations a longer life. 

"What I want to do is to immortalize these places. I often do buildings that are destined to disappear, to be demolished, or buildings that are emblematic of the atmosphere of these neighborhoods. It's to leave a trace, to immortalize these places, to show, to witness what it looks like at a given moment."

There is something small for everyone at the exhibition, ranging from shadow art created from simple household objects to micro-butterflies on flowers. There are also miniature carvings on pencils and tiny culinary delights that look so real that they could make your mouth water.

Video editor: Pedro Duarte