apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

No offense but you've set up a false equivalency here with your two options. Put art where it makes you happy and where it fits your overall design aesthetic.

I have a (museum gift shop) Chinese brush painting that works 100x better leaned up against the wall and partially hidden by a plant than it does against the wall. There's something about the nonchalant treatment of things that are (usually) expensive that makes a statement.

@ Heneage - that should read "than it does on the wall."

I also live in a space where the walls are monopolized by windows or storage. I bought a collection of woodblock prints on etsy, hoping to frame them and squeeze them into some of the tiny bits wall that I do have. After the prints arrived I had a horrible time deciding how they should be framed, and I put them under the top of a side table while I though about it. It has been six months or more and they are still there. I really like the way they look without any fussy matting or framing. The different textures of the papers really shows up well and a little light shines through them, and I can still safely set a glass of water on top of them.

The painting in the window looks fine to me, but the way it interacts with the curtains is distracting! I know this is a temporary space, but everything else in this room looks so thoughtfully composed. New curtains can be found on the cheap. I think investing in the right length would make a huge impact!

i too am looking for a way to display art in front of my windows without blocking my ability to raise and lower them.

where can i find that chair?!
overstock sells white ones in pairs, but i only need one. and i don't feel like paying out the nose for a real herman miller

I'm a big believer in placing art at all levels. Leaned up against a wall, hanging from a curtain rod, on the kitchen counter - wherever. Our eye level changes as we move around our homes, & art is meant to be seen. As long as it's sufficiently protected, I say place it wherever you will get to enjoy it most!

Oh man, if I could have as much light as that space has I'd be ecstatic. Don't block the light- get some good quality filtery curtains to reduce the glare if it's really that bad.
Or, there are some cool options for window clings that block blinding light from bright windows- they have faux stained glass that looks kind of cool I think.

I'm against blocking off windows. If there's little to no hanging space, work with smaller frames, simpler prints, leaning stuff against the wall.

I bought some small paintings at the thrift store for their gorgeous frames. I ended up keeping the paintings in the frames and propping them up in front of the books on one of my myriad bookcases.

I don't have a problem with art going wherever it looks good, but I must say I don't like the way it looks in that window. The curtain overlaps awkwardly and looks very messy.

Omg, lol. I just bought a desk like that. I love it. There's no orange on mine though. Anyone know the name of it or anything else about it?

I have a display idea if your walls are otherwise occupied.

This works best if you have tall ceilings. If they are framed, what about hanging your prized posters and pictures and such that they create a wall divider? You would put in little hooks on the bottom of each frame and suspend a little chain or cable down to the next one...so you would end up with something like this: http://tiny.cc/904Bb

Or how about just resting them on the window sill?

If unframed and untextured, you can spreading them out on a dining table/desk and placing a piece of glass on top?

Or here's kind of a crazy one, but I like it if you have the space and the money: building a Plexiglass/acrylic platform and placing them underneath. More details here: http://tiny.cc/904Bb

please ditch the curtain or shorten it. You aren't doing the picture any favors by partially covering it. I also don't understand the placement of the desk and why the window on the right doesn't seem to have a curtain at all.

hem tape a few yards of fabric=temporary cheap fix.

Also, from an artist's standpoint:
1. Artists work hard to compose art... Seriously your cheap curtain is cropping that photo in a way the artist didn't intend. And its distracting to boot.
2. I hope you have museum quality or UV glass... because in a window or room with that much light your photo is going to fade. And that makes (most) artists sad.

Thank you for the comments and ideas!

The chair is from DWR (yes, pricey, but check craigslist and you may find one at a discount). The desk was a craigslist find and I'd love to know more about it too.

To everyone who commented on the awkward length of the curtain, I'm in total agreement. This is is my old studio so it only exists in the photograph now, but if I could, I'd certainly go back and come up with another curtain solution. How clear things are in retrospect!

And yes, the photograph is behind UV glass, which I highly recommend whether your art is hung in direct sunlight or not.

We have a thin but tall window at the end of a creative hallway solution. Moving in, I simply leaned 2 "wall hangings" on the sill against the window frame. They haven't moved in 13 months. I'm ready to switch them out because of their accidental nature. But I want the replaced look to appear as casual...

If the view weren't of a brick wall with a transformer at eye-level, this likely would never have happened. Thank god for close proximity to our neighbors building!