In a 2022 study, 98 students rated ten abstract paintings. Those who saw the pictures in decorative frames systematically gave them lower ratings than those who saw them without frames. This is an inconvenient result for anyone who buys a framed poster, since it goes against the feeling that an ornate frame automatically enhances a picture. Here we go over what the study actually measured, why the Impressionists had already replaced gold frames with white ones in the 1870s, and how you can use this knowledge when choosing a frame for your next poster.
Quick facts: The study by Paweł Koniak and Magdalena Szubielska was published in 2022 in the journal Roczniki Psychologiczne (Annals of Psychology), volume 25, pages 121–136. The participants were 98 people aged 18 to 39, randomly assigned to three groups: no frame, simple frame, or decorative frame. They rated ten abstract works from the Zachęta collection in Warsaw. Decorative frames lowered ratings by 0.64 points compared with no frame (p = 0.008).
Three groups, ten paintings, and one unexpected loser: this is how Koniak and Szubielska’s experiment was conducted
The setup was simple but rigorous. Participants viewed reproductions of ten contemporary abstract paintings and answered four questions about each picture: whether they liked it, whether it was interesting, whether it would be a good investment, and whether it deserved to be exhibited in a gallery. The responses were combined into a single rating index. The only difference between the groups was the frame around the picture, or the lack of one.
Before the main study, a preliminary study with 54 people was conducted to check that the frames were indeed perceived differently. They were. The decorative frames were judged to be both more expensive and more decorative than the simple ones. However, participants did not like them more or less as objects, and this is an important detail: participants did not dislike the frames themselves. What changed was how they rated the picture inside.
The result in the main study was clear for the decorative frame. Paintings in decorative frames received lower ratings than the same paintings without frames, and the effect did not depend on how interested in art the participant was. The simple frame had a weaker effect, right on the borderline of statistical significance (p = 0.055). But a nuance emerged here: among participants with a strong interest in art, above 3.66 on the interest scale, unframed pictures received clearly higher ratings than those in simple frames, too. The more you look at art, the less you seem to need a frame to tell you that this is art.
From gilded frames to white moldings: why the Impressionists reframed their art
Anyone visiting a museum often sees a long row of gold frames with ornate corners, and it’s easy to think that gold was always art’s natural wrapping. That wasn’t the case for the artists who once stood outside the establishment. According to the Getty Museum’s overview of frames from the period, the Impressionists used white frames at their first exhibition precisely to distinguish their innovative paintings from the mostly gold-framed works in the official Salons. The frame became a statement.
Edgar Degas went furthest. He sketched his own frame designs in his sketchbooks and often chose white frames for his works, including Miss Lala at the Fernando Circus from 1879. According to The Frame Blog, which writes about artists’ frames, both Pissarro and Degas were showing their works in white rather than gilded frames by 1877 at the latest. At the very first exhibition in 1874, the paintings were hung with space between them, unlike the Salon’s densely packed walls. In 1879 and 1880, colored frames also appeared, in shades chosen to complement the paintings’ own colors. The profiles were simple: flat, smooth moldings or slightly curved cushion shapes.
During the second half of the 19th century, artists began designing their own frames, and toward the end of the century gold made a comeback, but now with minimal decoration. The movement went in one direction: the frame receded so the picture could take center stage. The fact that the Impressionists did this for aesthetic and art-political reasons, not because of a psychological study, means we should be cautious about drawing a straight line to the 2022 experiment. But it’s hard not to see the same instinct in both.
“A frame that stands out more than the picture has done its job poorly, whether it’s made of gold or oak.”
The frame as an advertising billboard: the researchers’ interpretation and the study’s limitations
Why would a decorative frame lower the rating? The authors suggest that an ornate frame may be perceived as an excessive form of marketing. When the frame screams “this is valuable,” viewers become suspicious, and that suspicion rubs off on the image. This aligns with the preliminary study’s finding that decorative frames were seen as more expensive without necessarily being liked. The frame signaled price, not quality.
There are good reasons to consider the results carefully. The sample was small and consisted of students; 77 of the 98 participants were women, and the test was conducted online using reproductions of the pictures. Only abstract art was used. Liking and perceived value were combined into an index, so the study doesn’t tell us whether one or the other declined. And the explanation involving perceived manipulation was tested only indirectly. This doesn’t mean the results are wrong, but it does mean they are an indication rather than a natural law.
Another limitation is context. In the study, the pictures were shown one at a time on a screen, without a room around them. At home, the frame is part of a whole that includes the sofa, floor, and light, as we discuss in our overview of the context effect and why the same picture looks different in a museum. The frame is part of that context, and it can either help or hinder.
Space between frames: the 1874 exhibition and what it teaches us about gallery walls
The frame isn’t just about one picture. When the Impressionists organized their exhibition in 1874, they hung the paintings with space between them, while the Salon packed works tightly, from floor to ceiling. The space around a picture acts as an invisible frame, and determines how much attention each work receives. The same principle applies to a gallery wall at home: the more frames you put together, the more important it is that they all have the same profile and are spaced evenly.
A common rule of thumb among people who hang art is to leave between five and ten centimeters between frames. If the frames vary in color and width, the pictures start competing, and the whole wall can feel unsettling, just as the decorative frame in the study drew attention away from the painting. If you want to create a larger grouping, you’ll find step-by-step advice in our complete guide to gallery walls. Use the same type of wood or the same color for all the frames, and vary the size of the pictures rather than the look of the frames.
There is also a practical benefit. If the frames are simple and matching, you can replace a poster without having to rethink the whole group. You can keep a white mat in one of the frames and switch out the print with the seasons, or move a picture from the bedroom to the hallway. It’s the same idea behind Degas and Pissarro’s flat, smooth moldings: the frame should be a quiet backdrop that can handle the picture behind it being changed.
From study to wall: frame profile, color, and matting when framing a poster
If we take the Impressionists and Koniak and Szubielska seriously, a few practical rules of thumb follow. Start with the profile. A narrow, straight frame in wood or metal takes up the least space around the image and works equally well for a 30x40 on a shelf or a 50x70 above the sofa. Our wooden frames and other frames are made specifically for this kind of understated framing. Choose the profile width to suit the format: a narrow frame for 30x40, a slightly wider one for 70x100, but never so wide that it competes with the subject.
Next, consider the color. Degas and his contemporaries tried frames in shades that echoed the paintings’ own colors. The same idea works at home: take the frame’s color from the image rather than the room. A poster in warm earth tones benefits from an oak or walnut frame, while a black-and-white graphic image can handle a black frame. If the subject is highly abstract, as in our minimalist posters, the simplest frame is usually best.
Tip: Hold the frame up against the image, stand three meters away, and ask yourself what you see first. If your eye gets caught by the frame before reaching the image, the profile is too wide or too decorative. Try a narrower frame or add a mat to give the image more breathing room.
The mat is the frame’s most underrated tool. It creates space between the image and the frame, so the frame never intrudes on the subject. We explain how wide it should be and what quality to choose in the mat buying guide. Keep the mat light and neutral if you want all the focus to be on the subject.
Finally, a caveat that the research itself leaves room for: an ornate or gilded frame is not off-limits. In the late 19th century, gold made a comeback, but with minimal decoration. The key is for the frame’s style to match the image. A Baroque painting can handle elaborate curves; a modern graphic print cannot.
Frequently asked questions about frames and how we experience art
Ready to try it yourself? Start by choosing the artwork, for example from our artworks by famous artists, and then add a narrow frame. Compare a few frames with the same poster before deciding, ideally by photographing them side by side and looking at the picture again a day later. You’ll quickly notice which frame stands out and which lets the artwork speak. If you’re unsure, choose the narrowest frame in a color that already appears in the image. The research and the Impressionists point in the same direction: let the image be the star.
Read more: Getty Museum on frames in modern painting, The Frame Blog on frames on Impressionist paintings, and the study on decorative frames and abstract art.