How to hang art and photos to please the eye and the brain

Even so, it’s worth putting some thought into it so you can enjoy the results. After all, hanging art or photos is one of the easiest ways to surround yourself with meaningful objects and memories.

While there are rules of thumb to consider when hanging artwork, you don’t have to be wedded to them. “There’s no single best way to hang your pictures on the wall — it’s a form of communication, a way to express ideas, an aesthetic choice,” says Bevil Conway, a visual neuroscientist and artist. The first step is to think about what you’re trying to achieve, advises Conway, whose job as a senior investigator at the National Eye Institute in Bethesda means he’s routinely evaluating the way we see the world around us. Consider your goals: Are you trying to be startling and surprising with your picture placement? Are you trying to provoke curiosity or attract people’s attention to a particular artwork?

Once you’ve identified the vibe you’re trying to create, let the following general principles guide you.

Conventional wisdom says art should be hung at eye level. But it’s important to remember that “eye level” means different things to different people. A more dependable rule of thumb, says Linda Kafka, founder of the Science in Design Academy in Toronto, is to hang pieces so that their centers are 56 to 60 inches above the finished floor. And if the art is going over furniture, aim to hang it eight to 10 inches from the top of the sofa or whatever piece is beneath it, she says. “If it relates to the furniture or architectural features around it, art won’t feel like it’s floating independently.”

Whatever height you choose, keep in mind: “From a psychological perspective, if it’s a scene from nature, for example, it’s most relaxing if it’s placed so that it seems like we can step into it,” says Sally Augustin, an environmental and design psychologist in Chicago. This relates to a concept called embodied cognition: When looking at a particular piece of art, people have a tendency to mentally project themselves into it because your brain’s mirror neurons respond to viewing the artwork just as they would if you were actually in the depicted scene.

Take care when grouping pieces

When grouping art pieces together to create a gallery wall, “Give priority to the thing that is most special,” says Lee Waters, owner and creative director of Lee Waters Design in Midlothian, Va. “You’re looking for something that’s going to make a compelling visual statement.”

For a more free-form configuration, it may also help to place the largest piece in the center, creating a visual anchor for the eye. You can then build out from there, Yokota says. Don’t be afraid to mix horizontal pieces with vertical ones. It’s also worth considering whether you want people to “focus on individual works or the way they come together as a whole, as a collection of works,” Conway says.

Be mindful of the spacing between the frames, ensuring they’re an equal distance from one another. A good rule, says Kafka, is to aim for two inches apart with smaller items; you can go up to three to six inches apart with larger works. But “if artwork is spaced too far apart, it disrupts the visual flow and can create tension and unease,” she says.

If this all sounds overwhelming, a more straightforward solution is to organize your pieces into a grid, which immediately “gives the design structure and a sense of security because there’s order in the space,” Yokota says. The entire display might be an equally spaced, 8 feet by 8 feet. This is arguably a harder approach to mess up, since the human brain loves symmetry (more on that below).

When arranging artwork in a group, look for one or two elements that repeat between the pieces, whether it’s a similar color palette, a certain type of matting or a particular style of frame. “You want the pieces to relate to each other,” Kafka says. In other words, they should somehow go together without being exactly alike. “When they all share this common characteristic, the brain says, ‘Oh, this was meant to be,’” Waters adds — it becomes easier to process what you’re looking at.

Create balance and symmetry

Research shows that humans prefer symmetry. A 2018 study from the University of Vienna found that both art history and psychology students at the university level prefer symmetrical patterns over asymmetrical ones with art; this may have an evolutionary basis as well as a psychological one, the authors noted. In another series of experiments, researchers in Rome found that visual symmetry even leads to positive mood changes in viewers.

This may be because symmetry creates a sense of order. If a group of paintings “is symmetrical, we perceive it as more thought-through, not random,” explains Augustin, whose firm, Design With Science, uses principles from neuroscience to create spaces that foster productivity, well-being and positive mental states. “It creates a certain comfort in us because it’s easier to survey and process.”

Before you commit to the arrangement you have in mind by hammering holes into a wall, “lay out what you plan on the floor in advance to get a sense of how it will look,” Augustin advises. This way, you can view it from different vantage points — straight on, from a distance and from different angles — and rearrange the pieces or their spacing on the floor to create a composition you appreciate. Consider this a rehearsal for your personal art show. Once you’ve got the right arrangement, hammer away.

Stacey Colino is a writer, specializing in health and psychology. You can follow her on X at @ColinoStacey.