Should I bin my friend's art?

[Joyjazz]

My friend painted me a picture. The sentiment was lovely but I really hate it. It's not my taste and not in keeping with my house. I keep it behind the TV and hang it whenever she comes to visit so I don't hurt her feelings as she is really proud of this piece and spent many weeks making it. I'm moving to a new house and I don't want to be carrying things that I don't like or want to my new home. I want to take the frame and bin the actual painting. She's a good friend and she is likely to visit and possibly ask where the art is.

AIBU to put the painting in the bin?

You need to end this now.
You risk being given this 'art' forever!
Do not hang the art anywhere.
Do not encourage your friend.
Give to charity rather than bin it.
If you do hang it in your house you are encouraging your friend and they will think it is fine to keep on giving you their 'art' as you must obviously like it to be displaying it!
You know what you have to do.
Good luck!

x

It wasn't personal art, but our parents got some lovely framed large canvas blow-up photos for my DSis and me when we were children.

It was a very kind idea, but I so wish they hadn't chosen the photo of me that they did, as (unknown to them), it represented a very unhappy part of my life at that time; the same for my DSis too, as we later realised.

Ooh, that was really callous of them - not just to do that, but to actually tell you what they'd done.

It's difficult, because a lot of talented artists do give artwork as gifts to very grateful recipients who truly love it. Maybe it takes a little careful 'homework' and tactful questions/comments beforehand, to see how keen they would be?

My friend once accepted some art after a favour she did for an acquaintance. She didn’t like it but took it to be polite. Quite a large painting of someone smoking. That acquaintance turned out to be Damian Hurst.

Hang on to this shit art folks. You never know what could happen and you might have a valuable ‘original’ on your hands!

Is your name Penny and your friend is Any?! Sorry 😂😂

I'd either say or was damaged in the move and bin - you can't reuse the frame! Or hang it in a bedroom, show her once after the move and then bin it (still can't keep the frame)

I wonder if it might be possible to convert it to something like the advertising signs they have in bus shelters? The ones with long triangular rods that turn, so that three different adverts can be regularly shown during the same timespan?!

You'd have to fit it with a pause button, though!

I would burn the bloody thing, it is awful.

Lose it in the move!!!!

I lost a - very very expensive - Christmas wreath in a move once!! Absolutely no idea where it went as I honestly genuinely checked every single corner of the house when I moved. It was a rented house so I know I emptied it then cleaned the entire thing from top to bottom, including the loft.

The danger is that she will offer to redo you a piece though - which might be worse!! Is it that bad though? Is it like Phoebe in Friends art?? 😂

Loving the memory of Reggie Perrin's Grot Shop!

This thread is reminding me of the one from a little while ago, where OP's DSis is a talented artist but she insists on scribbling her name in a huge red scrawl right across the middle of every painting that she does - including the one that OP commissioned and paid her for - thus completely spoiling them all!

The fact that it wasn't posted by the OP should have been a clue that it wasn't the painting in question. 🙂

Yep, thanks. Didn’t notice that either. I’m an idiot yes.

It's awful. I feel your pain OP! It got lost in the move or 'rotate your pictures' as pp have suggested.

You could always tell her that, whilst the beautiful painting was incredibly special to you and grabbed your own heart, you knew that your late Great Aunt Edna, who was passionate about that very subject, would unquestionably have found that the painting would speak so deeply to her very soul.

You simply could not live with the selfishness of clinging on to such an exquisitely meaningful joy for yourself, for this generation only and for this world only.

Therefore, you have submitted the masterpiece to the elements, so that it can be carried away and find its true spiritual home in dear old Great Aunt Edna's bosom, where she may revel in and treasure it for eternity.

Sounds a lot more tactful than "It was horrid, so I burned it" - even though it's basically the same thing. Plus, Edna was never a fan of wood, so you didn't want to dilute her delight by sending her the frame as well...

People should fucking move on from the picture from Friends. Many of us, including myself, made it "the picture" when the OP said her friend's painting was worse

Hard to imagine how it can be worse, but that's how the OP feels about it.

I just choked on my easter egg!!! Brilliant

Right😂 I’m not sure how so many people have been confused by this. Fair enough if it was posted by the OP because that would be extremely confusing

Why not be honest and say as you’re moving you don’t think there’s a place for the art in your new home and it doesn’t fit with your aesthetic. Offer to give it back to her.

Might be awkward but at least you’re being honest and you won’t get more art!

I might gently tell her it isn't your style and offer her the chance to have it back to give to someone else who would really appreciate it. But binning it and taking the frame is really rude.

Removing this bcoz it just repeats the previous 2 posts.

She might take that as a requirement to paint a new one

Maybe you could say you stored some stuff at your mum's house during your move and if your friend asks about it you just say 'dang! I keep forgetting to pick that up from my mum's!' Meanwhile it lives in the attic.

I'm crying at the amount of people who think that picture is the one OP is referring to. Even if you've never watched Friends, how have you not clocked it wasn't posted by the OP 🤣

Only sometimes? 😁

my mum is a painter - I just tell her I really like the chrismassy scenes so she gives me those & I pop them up as Xmas decorations each year

Perhaps in the move you could offer it back to her? Say that you've enjoyed having it (through gritted teeth) but it really won't work with the style of your new home and you wanted to offer it back to her first, before the move?

If she doesn't want it back, then it could get 'damaged' in the move and you were able to salvage the frame but not the art itself, perhaps?