Tiny treasures in one of biggest art shows

That's because Willard's work is a little on the small side to say the least.

In fact his tiny sculptures will comfortably fit inside the eye of a needle or on the head of a pin.

You'll be able to see them yourself - or maybe not - when an exhibition of his work opens in Sheffield next month.

The exhibition is being held by Archipelago Art Gallery, based on Ecclesall Road, in a gallery on York Street in Sheffield city centre specially set up to stage the display.

The exhibition will feature sculptures made from materials including spider's web, dust particles and human eye lashes - these measure less than a human blood cell or 1.5 microns in size.

Despite their minute dimensions, these are highly prized pieces - in July this year, a commission piece 'Lloyd's of London on a Pin Head' sold for 94,000.

Collectors of his work include Sir Elton John, the Prince of Wales and Mike Tyson.

The miniscule art attracted enormous attention at a recent show in London, with crowds flocking to marvel at the seemingly impossible feats of micro-construction. Visitors to the Archipelago exhibition can expect to see micro-sculptures such The Statue of Liberty, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the World Cup and Elvis.

Practically invisible to the naked eye, the pieces come fully encased in their own display units incorporating microscopic and loupe viewing apparatus.

Archipelago's director Rupert Wood said: "In one sense this is one of the biggest shows to come to Sheffield in recent years - but of course it is quite spectacularly tiny art that we're talking about here.

"It's such a high-profile event, and interest will be strong, so we're putting it on in a superb space in the very heart of Sheffield."

The exhibition, In The Eye of The Needle, will run from Thursday November 8 to Tuesday November 20.

The pieces themselves are for sale, plus signed framed photographs and limited edition portfolio collections of signed photographs.

Opening times for the gallery are from 10am -to 6pm Monday to Saturday and 12pm to 4pm on Sunday.

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