apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

That looks beautiful - All it needs is a large Persian Carpet and some plush upholstered furniture and I'd be right at home.

Definitely gorgeous. I love that the background colors were what the artists themselves would want you to see their art against. I wish it were possible to ask Monet what color he'd want his ice floes to be shown against:
http://www.metmuseum.org/Imageshare/ep/large/EP909.jpg

The whole point of galleries using white or off-white is to provide a neutral environment for any/all artworks that might be displayed there. If you have the wrong colored wall, you can really affect the perception of the artwork displayed.

That said, there's a huge advantage to using a midtone that's not too saturated, instead of white. It lets the values in the artwork "do their thing" better.

I suppose if you've got an exhibit with a predominant color palette it's easier to pick a more bold color for the walls.

I love art on color. One of my favorite places ever is the National Portrait Gallery in London, my favorite spot there is Room 2, which I think is a dark charcoal, here is a shot from flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/herry/2969099969/

And it's one beautifully hued room after another:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/herry/2969960160/

But if I remember correctly, the main floor might all be white, where the modern portraits are.

It's will be so nice to see modern works on color, very exciting.

While color on the walls is a bit less "new" in museums than in galleries, if you are interested in seeing a stellar example of color and lighting used to enhance a work of art, you must go see this exhibition at the ICP (International Center of Photography):

http://www.icp.org/site/c.dnJGKJNsFqG/b.4391361/

The gorgeous navy blue and glowing lighting really highlight the black and white photographs and make them float of the walls.

If the artist selects the color specifically for his/her show only, I'm all for it. Otherwise, a neutral black/white/grey tone is absolutely necessary in a gallery where multiple artists share the same wall space.

I was thinking that applying wall color couldn't work in a show for someone who uses light as part of their art (i.e. Jenny Holzer, Dan Flavin, Olafur Eliasson).

Gorgeous! Mmm, idea for my bedroom?
http://www.notyourgoddess.blogspot.com/

Finally - galleries that aren't white! There's no such thing as a neutral presentation space, so why not do something different. It's also much easier to sell clients on non-white walls...feels less gallery, more homey...

The art museum where I used to work was on a tight budget. The walls were covered in expensive off-white linen, woven extra wide as a wall covering. This made it less messy to change installations, since no patching of plaster and repainting was required after each exhibition. You don't paint that sort of material -- the paint clogs up the fabric and ruins the porosity that makes the wall covering hide nail holes.

But a lot of museums and galleries I have been in over the years have had colorful walls. Usually for special exhibitions, to set them apart. Art looks great on color, but if you are SELLING the art and you don't want it to blend in to be part of the environment, but to make it the focus, white still works very well. No competition with the merchandise.

The good thing about art prints (as opposed to original art) is you can highlight them with warm glows. Don't they look so good under the lighting?

More abstract art here for your viewing pleasure...