There’s large wall art and then there’s really large wall art. Most large wall art can be hung with standard picture hanging hardware and a few strong friends. Giant wall art typically needs a custom solution and the help of a professional team. We recently hung this giant Jiří Georg Dokoupil painting in a New York City office building, and it required a lot more than just a hammer and nails.
This particular project required an especially unique solution because the walls of the building lobby were glass, meaning the art couldn’t be affixed directly to the wall. Instead we used a cable system, which was structurally attached to the ceiling. This portion was completed by engineers to ensure structural soundness.
From there, the installation was fairly straight forward despite the weight. We were able to slowly lower and raise the painting about 1′-2′ at a time using the cable system to provide stopping points enabling maximum security and ease. The main handling concerns, weight and stability as it was maneuvered, were eased by overcompensating with the number of hands involved.
The most complicated aspect of the project was in fact completed before we hung the piece: getting the back of the frame prepared to attach to the cable system. The main concerns were the overall weight and the anticipated movement due to the combination of cable suspension and the buildings air flow and pressure.
The frame had been designed to be hung from a French cleat which was not readily compatible with the cable system and the overall weight was too great for standard D-rings. So, we came up with a modified D-ring concept using nylon webbing, welded steel O-rings, and steel straps to distribute the weight along the back of the frame and maximize the connection.
We’re happy to report: the solution worked.
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