Picture the scene. It's 1964, and the trustees of New York's Guggenheim have a very relatable problem: too much art, not enough wall. Their fix? Sell 50 of their 170 Kandinskys rather than leave them hidden away in the vaults. One of them, a big, square abstract called Betonte Ecken ("Emphasised Corners"), went under the hammer in London that year for £22,000.
Fast forward to this month. On 17 November that very painting heads to Christie's in New York with an estimate of –80 million, and it's tipped to smash Kandinsky's auction record of £37.2 million. Not bad for a canvas that was essentially sold to free up some storage space. We've all had a clear-out we later regretted, but this one takes the biscuit (and the whole biscuit tin).
Betonte Ecken is estimated at –80 million at Christie's, New York.
Your art doesn't belong in the vault either
We can't promise the print under your bed will be worth eight figures by 2088. But the Guggenheim's thinking was spot on: art tucked in a drawer, a cardboard tube or the loft isn't doing its job. The gig poster, the holiday watercolour, your little one's masterpiece in three shades of purple: they all deserve a wall, not a wardrobe.
Take a leaf out of Kandinsky's book
Betonte Ecken is bold, geometric and crossed with crisp black lines that look a bit like a musical score. It's a handy cheat sheet for framing at home:
- Embrace the awkward size. A square or oddly shaped piece is no problem when your frame is made to measure. Just pop your exact dimensions into our custom frame designer.
- Let the lines lead. Graphic, high-contrast art loves a slim black frame that echoes the linework. Warmer pieces might suit natural wood or a touch of gold. You can search frames by colour to find your match.
- Give it room to breathe. A generous picture mount works like a gallery's white wall in miniature, so busy compositions feel calmer and more considered.
- Think about the long game. If a piece is precious (or might be the next big thing), UV-filtering glazing such as our 3mm Clear UV100 Acrylic helps protect colours from fading in sunny rooms.
Try it on the wall before you commit
The Guggenheim trustees didn't have the luxury of a preview. You do. In our frame designer, Room View lets you place your framed piece in a sample living room, bedroom, office or kitchen, or upload a photo of your own room for a feel of how it will look. Or press 3D and AR to turn your frame round on screen and, on a phone or tablet, see it on your own wall at its real size. It's the easiest way to settle the "black or oak?" debate without a single nail hole.
A gift with a story
With Christmas creeping closer, framing a loved one's favourite print, photo or child's drawing makes a present that's personal, practical and very unlikely to be re-gifted. It might not fetch million, but it will mean a great deal more to the person unwrapping it.
So go on: liberate something from the loft this week. Give your art the wall space it deserves. Kandinsky would approve.
Composition VIII by Wassily Kandinsky (1866–1944) is in the public domain; image via Wikimedia Commons. The other framed artworks pictured are our own illustrations. Auction details from CNN and Artnet, November 2026.