Since my husband & I are over 6 feet tall, we tend to hang our art higher, about 62" at center. So most of our friends have to look up to the art :)

Thanks for the good tips on easy formulas, including hanging in groups.

Last night, I put 2 tiny paintings in our bathroom that were about to head to storage in the attic. It was very easy though- I put them on the shelf behind the toothpaste.

One question- when using shelves to hang art of different sizes, how should we go about deciding where to put the shelves? My husband & I tend to just eyeball where we think they should go, but if there's a good formula (that we could adjust since we are so freaking tall), I would love to discover it!

Cool! Just like tallsarah, my partner and I eyeball where our art should hang. I found the video very helpful/informative! I will definitely give it a try once we collect more art during our Xmas vacay.

I voted "yes" because we actually hung three paintings in my son's room last week, using this very rule. My husband thought that was a little low, but he changed his mind. I've always been hanging my art lower than most people, so no change for me. I still have to finish the painting I want to put in our bedroom to hang it.

By the way, who is the artist behind that second huge artwork you hung ? I love it !!

Like this video, but am way less concerned about placement. I like to hang pieces of artwork in groups.

I had heard this rule before, but I have always hung art by eye (and we have a fair amount of art, especially complex groupings. Just for fun, I did a quick check around the house and all the groups I checked were at 57 or 58 inches on center. How funny!

How funny. I was going to hang a painting in my kitchen last night, but I couldn't find my hammer. We'll see if I can find it today.

I do have a question though, since most of our house is plaster and we have a picture rail, how do you measure for that? Mine are always off by the time I have cut the wire and tied it. I think it's the tying that throws me off. Is there a simple way to make that accurate? It's especially an issue for me when I want to hang things in groups--they end up all over the place.

This is much needed advice in my home. Thank you for this! In fact, I could use a whole seminar on picture hanging! (What about the space above the mantel or couch? Does the same rule apply to sconces on the wall? Etc etc etc). I'll take pictures of my problems.

We badly need to hang some of our pictures up - the large pieces have been under the bed since we moved in 18 months ago as we are planning renovations and couldn't be bothered to hang them only to have to repack them later.

I love these videos. Can you please, please just do one a day forever? :) They are so informative!

I second the call for more videos, in my simplified mind (no judgements thank you) they do not seem overly complicated to put together. Even one or two a week would be great. Have you thought about a series, you could be the Martha of design and decorating, just don't do the jail thing. Back to the art, I need to work on hanging my art so no one gets a crick in the neck.

Great advice! thanks! I'm leaving on a long weekend but will take my art to frame next week and will do as you say!

This comes at a perfect time for us. We have a few large pieces up in the apartment but have a collection of pieces waiting for their place on the wall. We even have a lunch date to frame another piece today!

Question - my hubby does not agree with the low-ish height I tend to hang the art in the house; I haven't measured it but I bet it's around this height. We are lucky enough to have 12 ft ceilings and he thinks that the art should be higher to account for that. Any thoughts about hanging art in rooms with high ceilings? Same rule? Buy more large pieces? What do you do with all that wall at the top?

I frame and install art for a living.

I like the 57" on centre as a guide, but when in people's homes, I often ask how tall the husband and wife are, and try to strike a balance. For most people, the 57" guide seems to be a nice height.

But with bedside tables, headboards, covering electrical panels, you have to go by eye, and what feels right for the home-owner.

When installing multiple pieces (sometimes hundreds) in offices, hotels, etc., the 57" rule is a good way to keep everything consistent. Nothing looks out of place or awkward, and if I go back in a year to install more artwork, there's no guess work.

personally i'd like to know about the artwork itself in the video. artists?

One thing though, when using two hooks, (which you should do for pieces big and small), you have to measure from two points on the wire to the top of the frame.

So if you're hooks are 8 inches apart, pull the wire from two points (8" apart), measure to the top, and that's the amount you subtract.

It may only be small difference from using one point on the wire, but if you're hanging a grid, or a row of pieces, or lining up with the top of something, it does make a difference.

And hanging from two hooks, big or small, just helps to keep it all level.

For quite large pieces, you should put a d-ring on each side of the frame, and just hang from the hooks. This keeps the artwork from sagging off the wall, distributes the weight vertically on the side bars of the frame, and keeps it level.

And then of course, for large and heavy pieces, French Cleats should be used... a whole other thing.

I did this in school and would get myself in trouble - "this" being working ahead. I hung something last week because I was so excited about the new home improvements. I think it is about right though. I'll check it for today's assignment!

Does anyone have advice for framing a poster that's 45 7/8 x 29 1/2? The framing shop wanted over $250 to custom frame the poster.

Maxwell did you realise that you have the perfect size body for viewing art in museums and galleries? I noticed at the end that your eyes were exactly in the middle of the painting you had hung, lol. ;)

erh1ny, It's crazy how much custom framing costs! I am teaching myself to myself to make my own frames, instead. You can buy framing molding on ebay or you can make your own. Google 'picture frame molding' or 'how to make a frame'.

I think it's a little crazy to call it a rule. My ceilings are over 9ft tall (some wacky doodle old building height). At 57" on center, it would look like my artwork is on the floor. I currently have series of 5 photographs, 21x17 hung at 70" on center.

And use a leveler !

@erh1ny I used American Frame (.com?) You can custom order sizes and the cost varies depending on your framing material and whether or not you want glass or plastic (a plexi, I believe, which I used for an inexpensive print)

I'm not afraid of hanging art, and I'm not afraid to hang it "low."

My problem is that my husband and I can't agree on what should be hung. I think pretty much anything could go, so long as it's framed and we like it (an interesting drawing, a piece of fabric, etc.). He's much more picky. :P

Great post Maxwell! I hang ART all the time in my home and what I have tried to do is use the same sized frames for different art pieces so I can interchange my art without having to paint the wall behind it everytime! (now mind you many of my pieces are art posters from art.com but they look great! )

It was great meeting you last night at LeDif. If you ever want to take a tour of Richmond with your family we would love to show you around! As a native New Yorker myself I know what you would love down here!

This has been the most informative video of all the videos you have done for 20/20. I am an artist and so there is a lot of artwork around my house. My husband is very tall and I am very short..but I always hang my art around the same height..56-58".

I lower two of my posters. One day in the future I'll have money to buy real art (the only real art that we have at home is the one our kids made for us) and thanks to this video, which I consider was very useful. I'll be able to hang it like a pro :)
Thank you Maxwell!

I was dubious about the claim that there was any standard in the museum/gallery world, let alone that it was 57" on center (viewing in a gallery environment is very different from a home environment). So I asked a curator at the National Portrait Gallery in London, with whom I am acquainted, and she confirmed that there is no industry standard, but that the NPG hangs at 150cm (59") on center. I also asked a couple artists and another curator and the general answer is that you need to do what feels right in your space and for the way your piece will be viewed. So while it's helpful to have a rule as a starting point, do what works for you!

I'm surprised that there was no mention of a need to find the wood studs behind the drywall to anchor the art. That's what's held me back from hanging my pieces! Fear no more.

jeda21, I'm guessing that's because most pieces aren't heavy enough to worry about that. If you have a heavy piece it might be worth finding the stud, or you can use a screw anchor.

I've found the perfect "art" for my kitchen at the last annual flea market here in Lille, and I may try to hang it today.

It's a 1966 drawing of a "typical" family, living in a formica kitchen, with the cute-apron wearing wife serving diner with a proud "look, I did it myself and am now an accomplished woman" look on her face. The husband is sitting down, visibly with no intention of helping anyone. I love how ironic this picture seem to us, and I can't wait to hang it and add a bit of humor to our kitchen !

I've got four pieces hanging above my sofa. The problem is that they're too high. I originally hung them with the center at 60" because that was the center I used for my BFA Show. I forgot to take into consideration that these would be above the sofa, where people would be sitting all around. So now I've got to rehang them. Let's see if 57" is a perfect height!

I would like an answer to the question about hanging from picture molding as well. I saw a formula in a magazine once about how long to make the wire, string or filament, made a copy and then lost it in all of my clutter. Does anyone out there know? The molding is hung, but not many pictures because most of the walls are brick!

I hung a framed print yesterday and it looks great. I had to hang it above the recommended height because it's squeezed between hanging shelves and a window over my home office corner desk. The 57" height recommendation sounds useful, though, and I'll use it when I can, thanks!

Ok, so I have been living in my teeny apartment for 6 months, and today I hung my first painting. Thanks, Maxwell, they were gathering dust under my bed.

Thing is, it looks SO low. I hung it next to my dresser which is about 50 inches tall. Does the 57" midpoint still apply here? Is there a forum where I can email an image? I've emailed AT a couple of times and I don't want to rank stalker status by emailing again.

Oh, and another thing. The heater thermostat (on another wall) is smack dab in the center of the wall at 53 inches. Any recommendations on how to hide it?

Thanks you, and I'm sad this cure is ending :(

My landlord wouldn't be happy, I've hung already too many things in here (framed or not, the important is that I can see them!), but yes I have something else I was waiting to put on the walls and now (thanks to you!) I'm going to do it! Thanks for the tips!

What about hanging art above the sofa? Isn't there some sort of rule that it should be 8 inches above the top of the sofa? Or does the 57" inch rule still apply?

We have various things on the wall around our flat but at the moment they're just on the hooks that the previous resident left - all very high. A couple of days ago I got around to hanging one small piece exactly where I wanted it, and I've put it higher than 57". The centre of the picture is at about 62", which is around my eye height - I'm about 5'6". My boyfriend's 6' and probably wouldn't notice this print at all if it was down at 57"!

Thanks so much for this! I never knew the exact way of doing it. And it's always those little tips and hints that make things look effortless and natural.

So excited to try it out.