Have you ever walked into an art museum or gallery and instantly felt at ease? The quiet environment and pleasantly displayed artwork settles the mind and allows the viewer to enjoy the art.
Whether you want to display two dimensional (or even three dimensional) art or photography in a home, office or gallery the following tips will help you hang an art gallery wall like the professionals.
“Salon-Style” was popularized in the 19th century and is still in fashion today. The word salon became a generic French term for a large mixed exhibition. This style of hanging art is where dozens of artworks are crowded together on a single wall. It may look unplanned, but this hanging style requires careful consideration to be successful. One must group a cohesive body or work together, plan the spacing, color palette, theme, frame styles and sizes to compose a pleasing design on the wall.
For instance try a grouping of black and white images or monochromatic paintings together for a sophisticated look. Also, combine works that share the same color, and pull them together by adding in some neutral pieces. Choose paintings with similar frame styles or artworks of the same theme, such as landscapes or portraits. It’s useful to lay the paintings on the floor or against the wall to help you visualize the desired placement.
Many art museums and art galleries hang large amounts of artwork this way. Salon-Style can also be an interesting way of displaying art in the home.
Using a gallery hanging system is another popular way to display an art gallery wall. Gallery hanging systems are a common choice for many museums, art galleries and art collectors. These hanging systems are safe, aesthetic, and long-lasting. In addition, they are very cool and keep the ambiance spacious and pleasant. These systems give the user higher versatility to hang almost any type of frames and canvases easily.
What are the popular gallery hanging systems?
• Picture Rail: They include hanging rail systems that suit well with wall mounted and ceiling mounted requirements.
• Cable Hanging System: These secure systems comprise a number of picture hooks including both side screws as well as self-gripping.
• J-Cable Rods: Among the most suitable for art galleries, these rod systems are a perfect blend of hanging cables and square profile rods for higher convenience.
• Fixed Hangers: These are the best hanging systems for artifacts that do not require any movement.
• Other Systems: Apart from the aforementioned systems there are many other hanging systems including the picture hanging rods, rod hooks, cable rods, and many others that can be a very good option to hang gallery walls evenly.
How to hang a gallery wall evenly?
Depending on the number of pictures there are certain factors that should be planned to hang a gallery wall evenly. For the most pleasing arrangement, the center of each photo/canvas should be parallel to the eye-level which is around 56-60 inches from the ground. Of course, there are exceptions to the rule when hanging art above eye level like in the example below.
Now if in case you’re handling a higher number of pictures bring the net center of the group (as a whole) to the height level of 56-60 inches. Also, while hanging them it will be better to centralize the largest frame as much as possible for uniformity like in the following image.
To have a broader idea of the placement of the frames, the best way is to cut out some paper/sheets of paper and place the templates on the wall using tape. This way you can easily try out different patterns and once you’re satisfied you can simply go ahead with actual pictures.
Another option is to group the pictures like a collage, you can create tidy rows and columns; this is a very good idea especially in the case of narrow or broad walls. 
Hardware
For best results it will be helpful to include the following hardware in your hanging procedure: laser levels, sawtooth bars, D rings and anchor screws, picture wires, removable pads, hooks, etc.
As you have read, there are many ways to hang an art gallery wall in your home, office or business. You may want to try the helpful hanging systems or you can use your own creativity in building a storyline or wall theme.
Guest author: Randy Thom of Systematic Art
Here are a few links to helpful hanging tools:
For more good tips check out > HOW TO HANG YOUR ARTWORK LIKE A PRO
