How to Create Salon-Style Displays

If you have spent time in museums or galleries lately, there’s a good chance that you will have seen an exhibition hung “salon-style,” a term that refers to large groupings of art that extend higher and lower than the traditional eye-level single row or “museum-style” hanging. Here are tips on bringing salon techniques into your gallery, studio or home.

The?salon-style display?dates to an influential annual exhibition in pre-Revolutionary Paris, and offers several advantages for viewing work. Higher-hung pieces can be seen by everyone, even when the room is crowded, and the alternative perspectives on art display provide an intriguing historical throwback. In addition, more artworks can be displayed in a given space, and the non-linear approach allows exhibition designers to highlight connections or contrasts between multiple works, styles, periods, or artists.

For all of its benefits, it’s easy for salon-style displays to look chaotic, disconnected, or overwhelming. A sense of order and clear, logical visual lines are essential. With careful planning and execution, anyone can achieve an orderly, yet visually stimulating salon-style display.

Whether hanging an exhibition, or simply displaying art in your own home, here are some suggestions to keep in mind:

• Think about your display as a visual narrative that reflects the similarities and contrasts between pieces both in subject matter and in medium. One work should be big or strong enough to be the focal point.
• Experiment! Some designers suggest making a paper template for each work to test the wall arrangements, which can be a useful technique. An even better approach is to utilize an art hanging system, which allows efficient and effective experimentation with the actual works right on the wall.
• Be sure pieces hang flat against the wall. When one or two lean out, the effect is spoiled. There is one exception: if you are fortunate enough to be in a space with very high ceilings, it is acceptable, as well as historically accurate, to angle the uppermost works slightly for better visibility—but be sure to keep the angles consistent and the display harmonious.

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A version of this article originally appeared on the?DontTakePictures.com?blog, an excellent site for photography lovers, and GallerySystem.com.