Brooklyn Miniature Artist Makes Cost-Effective Business

Danny Cortes is a street miniature artist from Brooklyn, New York. Cortes re-creates miniature versions of the hip-hop-filled and gritty streets of New York. His bio on Instagram says he creates “nostalgic memories through” his art. Some of his pieces incorporate tributes to Notorious B.I.G. and the Wu-Tang Clan.

Photo Credit: dannycortesnyc.com

Artwork On Sotheby’s Website

The Brooklyn-based artist has a few of his iconic pieces of art on the website for Sotheby‘s, a British-founded American multinational corporation. Sotheby auctions and privately sells fine art, jewels, watches and so much more. Cortes’ original miniature of an iconic New York City newsstand with his his signature ranges from $2,000 to $3,000 U.S. dollars.

From $30 To Thousands of Dollars

Earlier this year, four of his artworks were sold in a hip-hop auction at the auction house. One of his creations was an ice-cream truck, which sold for over $2,000 USD. Cortes‘ first piece sold for $30 and he said in a workshop in Brooklyn, “I was so happy that I got $30.”

It started as a hobby for him and turned into so much more. Now Danny has fame in the rap community and is making cost-effective art. One of his first signature works was a white commercial ice box, which had “ICE” in block red letters on it. Also, Cortes gave that piece a New York vibe with graffiti covering the ice box.

Art Inspired By Danny’s Childhood

The 42-year-old miniature artist once said in a workshop, “we are adults, but we never stopped being kids. Who doesn’t like toys? Who doesn’t like miniatures?” Cortes spoke about a project he was working on and mentioned that it represented his childhood. The artist further went on to say, “everything looked like this: abandoned, empty, a lot of drugs in the area.”

Danny Cortes took an environment that could have set him back and turned it into a craft.

Written by Vhannah | Instagram: vhannahmontana