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?

I think I would just not hang it on the wall in the new place and hope she either doesn't notice or is too polite to say anything about it.

You will need to have an excuse ready in case she does ask. "The frame got smashed in the move and I haven't had a chance to have it reframed yet" if you've stashed it in the loft, or "It got lost in the move and I didn't like to say anything" if you've binned it. And then hope that she doesn't do you a new painting to replace the "lost" one.

What I wouldn't do is keep up with your current charade of putting it on the wall every time she comes round, or hurt her feelings by telling her directly that you don't like it.

I suppose so - on that basis, you can see how it might be a painful memory. And we did get what we thought was an absolute bargain, so I don’t know why I’m judging; we didn’t have to buy it after all! It just seemed sad and a little mercenary, I suppose. But you’re right - I don’t know what prompted it.

I saw a video on Instagram where a girl had painted something for her mum and saw it at the charity shop, so she bought it and gave it back to her for Christmas again 😂

Does your friend have an identical twin?

🤣🤣🤣

stares grimly into the distance

"I think you KNOW why we can never forgive you, Brenda. No! Not another word! Nothing can take away the stain of WHAT YOU DID!"

turns on heel and legs it away without minging picture of ducklings

Put it in your new loft.

Every time she comes round you earnestly explain that you still haven't found the exact right spot for it. If you want to embellish, you can say you're waiting for the house to give you the right vibe.

Then after, say, ten visits from her you can either sadly say that the painting got nibbled by mice OR say that the house told you that it needed the painting to watch over the loft as it was warding off the evil spirit that was residing there.

Ah I can see how many posters have never seen friends. 😂 I would love an original Buffay as I'm into weird art.

Sorry OP I can't advise. Once you have moved she might not mention it and if she does just say you haven't decided on where to hang things yet. Will buy you some time x

Assuming it’s not giant / as creepy as the friends one - could you put it on a gallery wall with a nice eclectic mix of things in a guest room?

otherwise just put it up in your room / a hallway for a while + then bung it in the loft and say your rotating as some PPs have suggested

Pics or we can’t advise.

I have a friend that expects us to buy her hobby projects and they are shit.

I still get accused of being a bad friend for not supporting her business.

You definitely can’t bin it, that’d be nasty, destroying art someone else worked hard on is immoral. Someone else might like it. If you’re getting rid of it give it to a charity shop.

Really you have two options: honesty or dishonesty. Which you choose depends on her personality.

The dishonest options:

• hang in bedroom, give away but pretend its still in there.
• pretend it got damaged
• say its in loft

(the first two options run the risk she may give you more art in future)

Honest option:
Say you’re going for a new aesthetic in your new home and have decided to let go of that painting and would she mind if you give it away or would she rather have it back.

I’d probably put it in loft if you have one. You can’t keep the frame, no.

I would hang it in the guest bedroom. You never have to see it and she (and other unfortunate guests who stay over) will. Win win.

You could bin it together with the frame - or add it to the stove ff you're decluttering pre move and give it to a charity for someone else to enjoy. Maybe not a charity shop very close to you if she lives locally. 🌹

If you like the frame, would you be able to get an alternative picture to slot in front of the bad one in it, and hang that in the new place? Then you'd only have to remember to whip off the nice one and hide it when your friend comes round!

I think it's frightful tbh .I would say it doesn't really suit your new home. Also did she do it as a surprise. If so art is subjective and she should realise this

Amused by all those thinking a PP who isn't the OP has posted the actual piece and not realising its from Friends 🤣

Is it Gladys?

Oh my God, @RicePuddingWithCinnamon, that awful. And scary. I couldn't give it house room.

Do you have any children, grandchildren or any sensitive souls in your life who you could claim won't enter your house while that is in it?

Oh we had this problem. A friend gave us a piece of her original art as a wedding gift and honestly we just never liked it. We put it in the spare room, then when we had some work done a few years ago we took it down and stored it.

I can't quite bring myself to bin it but it will live in the loft forever.

We were also once given a handmade cushion cover in a variety of colours that I just didn't like but my son loved it so I allowed him to claim it and the giver is delighted he is so thrilled with it and doesn't mind that it's not on our sofa.

I'm no help! I would just put it upstairs in a spare room but it does depend how awful it is.

I’d just put it in my loft, if she asks I’d have to be honest…I can’t hold anything in.

I couldn’t throw it away as she painted it for you. Even if I didn’t like it, I’d be sentimental about something like that. Could you not just store it and not get around to hanging it in your new place? She’s unlikely to keep asking after it, if she does occasionally, just say it keeps slipping your mind.

I’d go with putting a similar sized picture in the frame and switching them when she comes around, unless it’s 5ft x 5ft or something.

That's a bit of a leap. People giving things they made are selfish???

I desperately want to see this masterpiece/monstrosity. Can you at least describe it for us, @Joyjazz ?

Do you have a cabinet it could go in? You know, with all the other really special stuff.