Some psychology research suggests people tend to see larger works of art as better.¹ Large-scale works can evoke a sense of awe or importance. Size is such an important visual attribute that we process size pre-attentively. However, some additional psychology research suggests people can misattribute their preferences to meanings rather than size.

To my friends who describe themselves as not liking museums I suggest we go to the Metropolitan Museum, which houses such large-scale works as the Temple of Dendur and the choir screen from the Cathedral of Valladolid. A recent exhibit at the Hirshhorn Museum, “Big Things for Big Rooms” takes this idea to the extreme. Sure, this pile of rocks seems basic. However, it's a large pile of rocks in a museum, so it must be important.