Your Painting will usually come with a special plywood hanger. If not, you can still hang your painting but it should be done as follows:

Hangers are simply made from a small piece of Plywood and have a rabbet or TAB type of groove cut out of the top. the tab is placed UP with the tab toward the OUTSIDE and the cut-out groove or rabbet on the BACK next to the wall. Nails should be pre-drilled with one in the center and two on the outside as close to the rabbet as possible. The entire strength of this system RESTS on the ANGLE of the nails.

NEVER hang a large work of my art with the nails STRAIGHT INTO THE WALL. The angle of the nails provides all the strength.

In Physics it is called 'Sheer strength' and all of the strength to hang a heavy painting is provided by the fact that the ANGLE of the nails into soft Drywall is offset by the spreading of the weight to TWO other nails. IF nails are placed at NO or LOW angle then the artwork can fall by pulling OUT of the wall.

The Angle of the nails coupled with the long tail (from 5 inches long/tall to 10 inches) of the hanger provides a lever to keep the hanger close to the wall. Nails driven into the hanger at NO or LOW angle defeat this feature and make the painting subject to falling. The nails do NOT have to be thick - only long. This also means that less damage is made on the wall surface.

The tab on the back of the painting simply slips down into the groove of the hanger which has been pre-hung and leveled. To remove the painting you must LIFT up and over.

See illustration below.