Displaying art

Christopher Peter’s apartment reflects his previous career as an art gallery curator. Here, he shares his tips on how best to display collections

I believe in grouping work. Drawings, graphics, photographs and paintings can be mixed to form a cohesive and harmonious whole. Lonely pictures, unless great masterpieces, are somehow dowdy and unimaginative, and serve to reduce rather than increase impact or focus. A room hung exclusively with strong oils can look choked up, leaving no room for any artwork to shine. All these opinions are subjective, and I expect it depends on the ratio of the work to the wall and the gravity of the work. Those who own very grand paintings may scoff at this, but I think that paintings do need accompaniment, like a rich meat dish needs salad or vegetables, or both.