7 Tips to Hang Artworks at Home Like a Curator

Exhibition Photo; Michael Brewster: Frequency, curated by Studio Hash

Have you ever walked through an art gallery and wondered how you can bring that aesthetic into your own space? Art collecting can be a fulfilling experience for those who appreciate the creative side of life. But it doesn’t just stop with buying art. After all, art is meant to be seen and admired. So how can you display your art pieces in a complementary manner that reflects the feel of a curated exhibit? Check out these seven tips to hang artworks at home perfectly.

Hang Art By the Center With a Standard Height

In order to have your art displayed perfectly, you want to ensure that you are hanging it correctly. Why is this important you might ask? Because when you are dealing with fine artworks, a simple imbalance in the display can alter the entire feeling of the piece. For full enjoyment, it is best to have a balanced display.

In general, you want to hang art at eye level with the center of the painting between 57 and 60 inches from the floor. This makes it comfortable to view the piece as well as provides a professional, uniformity to the viewing area. 

Use a Hanging Formula

Did you know that you can actually use a formula to calculate the perfect hanging height for your artworks either individually or in a group? While you can measure in inches, the best result is measuring in centimeters to avoid dealing with fractions.

First, determine the height of the piece you intend to hang. If you are hanging a group, use the height of the center piece to determine the height you should hang the entire grouping at. Take that height and divide it in half. Then, add 150 centimeters (or 58 inches if you prefer). 

Next, you will need to determine the size of the drop. The drop is the distance between the top of the artwork to the wire when pulled tight (as if it were hanging from a nail). Subtract this from the total identified above. The resulting measurement is where you should place the nail on the wall. 

The actual formula is as follows: ½ artwork height in cm + 150 cm - drop = nail height. 

Use Nails Meant For Artworks

The most accurate way to place the nail is to measure up from the floor and mark the wall with a pencil. The best nails to use are common flat head 1 ½ inch nails. You can use two nails for larger artworks but be sure to use a level to ensure accuracy so that your artwork hangs parallel to the floor. 

Group Paintings

A great way to make your space feel like an art gallery is to group artworks that share elements. These may be pieces from the same series, by the same artist, or with the same style. When you group pieces together, you do not want to crowd the space. Negative space between artworks will give the eyes a rest and improve the overall enjoyment of the display. 

Groupings can be done in a variety of ways. Some artworks are best displayed in groups of odd numbers hung in line with each other horizontally while others may look creative hung vertically and horizontally from floor to ceiling. Keep in mind that the second option can make some artworks hard to view. 

For the best planning, lay the artworks in question on the floor in a variety of ways to determine the best layout for viewing. 

Add Labels

If you are versed in art collecting, you will know that most artworks have a title. If you truly want the gallery aesthetic, you will want to label the artwork with the title and artist. This can help you catalog your collection as well as spur interest when you have guests that are interested in the artworks you have purchased. 

Use Space

As mentioned for artwork groupings, negative space is essential for giving the eye a break and making a display feel enjoyable rather than overwhelming. A good practice is to ensure that approximately 30 percent of the wall remains exposed. You can leave more space in between groupings or leave all pieces equidistant from each other. The choice is yours! Let your own creativity flow throughout your collection with simple design decisions. 

Light Your Artwork

A trick that galleries use to make an artwork stand out more is to provide complimentary lighting. This may be in the form of backlighting, top lighting, or spotlighting. While it is not entirely necessary to provide lighting for each individual artwork in your collection, as you set up your display consider the areas of the space that provide ideal lighting. 

Add Interactive Elements

Take it a step further than just considering how you are going to hang your artworks and consider how you are going to compliment them with other elements of the room. This might be through the furniture, lamps, or aesthetics of the room. For example, you could hang artwork in an area meant for reading placed in a corner with a comfortable chair, bookshelf, and lamp. Alternatively, you could center the artwork in a room that has a desk and office chair with a “study” aesthetic.

When you are invested in buying art, you want to achieve the same emotional response to the piece at home that you experienced the day you bought it. Whether that experience you had was at a gallery, from a private auction, or online. The best way to reach this is to not only bring in your own elements of design that make the piece work with your space, but also create that same balanced feeling that it had when you first laid eyes on it. Making sure that your artwork is hung perfectly is a great way to realize this.