Gallery Display Know How
Samuel Morse Gallery of the Louvre Poster
by american_art
When I was up at the Artists Alley Gallery for my show last week, I had some time to kill and walked around looking at the other artists work. There were several things that caught my attention as to what makes a strong statement and visually more appealing display set up.
Here are some things to think about:
1. Invest in good frames - cheap frames do nothing for your work! A good looking frame can enhance the colors within your painting and make the painting pop. A cheap frame on the other hand states that the artist does not care. If you can't invest in a better quality frame, you might better of using gallery wrap canvas that is nicely finished off on all sides.
2. Uniform frames - The walls that had artwork displayed in one style of frame and color looked much better than those that were a mix of designs and hues.
3. Group sizing - Hanging artwork in frames that are different sizes can become quiet a challenge. Small artwork should hang together and separate from very large pieces, unless you have enough work to create a cohesive looking set up.
4. Less is more. Edit - not every piece you have painted should hang on the wall. Select your strongest pieces only!
5. Make sure that the gallery provides you with tags that list the title, dimensions, medium and price of the piece. If you have a mix of giclées and original work, it should be noted on each label as well.
6. Have a theme going. There are those artists who dabble in about everything. Their subject matter ranges from landscape paintings to still life to portraits. It is better to exhibit by a theme. Similar colors, similar subject matter all send a message about your style and what type of painting you specialize in.
7. Artist Bio - some artist have a short bio nicely framed others have a portfolio for guests to browse through. In a gallery where everyone's work is begging for attention, you want to keep a visitor's interest peeked as long as possible so once they leave, they are still able to remember your work.
8. I like to have my business cards available where my work is on display for reasons mentioned in #7
9. Invest in top quality paints and painting supports and be immaculate about how you finish each piece off. Presentation is everything and no one wants to pay a high price for damaged or inferior looking goods.
So how did I fare you ask? Not so well. I was given more space this time around and had a hard time making it look cohesive. But the good news is that I finally know what to do and how to go about it. Next time you will see a top notch set up by yours truly! :)
