Interiors/Eoin Lyons:Got great art but don't know what to do with it? Time for some French flair.
You see a painting in a gallery, love it and buy it. But when you get it home you're not sure where or how to hang it. It leans against a wall for a few weeks before you eventually hang it too low or too high on a random wall. If you've agonised over the hanging of a picture, you could think about contacting Evy Richard, a Frenchwoman who moved from Paris to Dublin almost 16 years ago. She offers a picture-hanging service and will visit your home to position a painting in the most appropriate spot.
Born in Montpellier, she came to Ireland after studying history of art, and she has worked in galleries around the world. She knows about art and what to do with it. Better still, she has plenty of French charm and is discreet to a fault. Although she works for a national artistic institution, she has asked us not to name it. The same discretion applies to her affluent clients. "I started doing this because friends started to ask me to hang their art collections after they'd repainted their home or bought some new pieces."
Richard not only advises how to display art, but also will physically hang the pictures with appropriate hooks, which she supplies. She also brings her own drill.
"I try to display a collection in a way that helps preserve it - that means basic things such as no oils above radiators, no watercolours near sunlight and no delicate paper works in a bathroom. After that it's about finding a way to hang pictures that makes the living environment more enjoyable. I want people to get the most from their art so that they're able to enjoy it fully."
That means hanging favourite pieces on walls where they will be seen all the time and placing others in rooms that relate to their size or colour. Some pieces look better alone; others can be grouped to complement each other.
Richard's passion for art started in a theoretical way, but she then became drawn to the practical side. "I wanted to get away from books and work with art in a real way. The art someone buys is a reflection of their personality, so when I visit someone's home I think about the way they use their house and try to hang pictures to help create a certain mood, be it calm or fun."
With her natural good taste, Richard seems to know how to make art meld with an interior. "One of the trickiest things is to successfully display a group of pictures. I try to create a balance, so that pictures look interesting and sit well together. It's really about creating a feeling of harmony."
Her fee starts at €120 for a consultation. This is redeemable against the final cost of hanging the art. "Giving an average cost is like asking how long is a piece of string. It depends on how many paintings there are and what time is required to hang them. I give an estimate once I know what's involved. On my first visit I make a plan of where the paintings will go, so that when I come back the second time the hanging process is usually quite quick."
Word is spreading fast for this godsend of a service. Book her before the painters leave.
E-mail artevy@dublin.ie