CONTEMPORARY
“Art should be presented in a frame that allows it to be the focal point,” says Christy Murray, who, with her husband, Chester, co-owns Quogue Gallery in Quogue, which highlights modern and contemporary art. “The frame should not overshadow the art. It should complement and not compete with the picture, and the framed work should be in harmony with the aesthetic of the room.” Not all framing decisions need to be complicated, though. In fact, sometimes less is more. “For contemporary art, we consistently keep it simple and use frames that highlight the art and don’t draw attention to the frame,” says Murray. “For large works on paper, we float the art and add a simple white frame,” says Murray. For smaller works, they choose to match the matting to the paper to emphasize the work. Other works require a more three-dimensional approach. “The black and white prints by Donald Baechler provide an example of floating a picture in a shadow box frame,” says Murray. Sometimes, of course, it’s possible to frame two, three or four pictures all together. In that case, Murray says she likes to keep the form simple. “In grouping art, we like to hang pictures that work together in a grid,” she says. “For example, we chose to hang together four Raymond Hendler works. We framed them in a soft, gold gilt frame, as it works well with the rich tone of the work. This technique is a great alternative to finding one large piece to fill a wall space.” [READ FULL ARTICLE]