Works by modern masters present some of the most challenging of framing problems. Avant-garde painting styles developed faster than contemporary types of frame, with the result that late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century pictures often clashed with the mass-produced, brightly gilded historical-revival settings available at the time. It is also generally acknowledged that the aesthetic values of the artists concerned have too often been compromised by the commercial demands of later reframing.

Modern artists sought a return to basic principles, and in doing so compared themselves with the Old Masters, the diverse framing styles associated with whom often prove the most compatible and expressive for modern works. The classical proportions, abstracted sculptural ornament and muted patina of Renaissance and Baroque frames possess a timeless quality, not necessarily related to a specific period of interior decoration. Used imaginatively, such frames can provide harmonious and exhilarating solutions to modern framing problems.

Many French Impressionist and Post Impressionist works have been reframed by dealers and owners during the twentieth-century in period French frames. These often work well, but they can dominate the subject and lack individuality. The advantage of a very extensive stock of Renaissance, Baroque and Neoclassical Italian and Spanish frames is fully appreciated by clients who are effectively able to see their pictures in a new light in these settings. By experimenting with such frames, many highly successful and enduring marriages have been made, notably with works by Monet, Degas, Cézanne, Van Gogh, Gauguin and Picasso. The winning combination is as recognizable as love at first sight, and its suitability as self-evident.

A striking example of a rethinking the period French frame cliché is demonstrated by Matisse's White Plumes in the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Ornament on the previous frame was fussy and superfluous, and the excessive use of gold diluted the red background. In contrast, The 17th century Florentine black and gold portrait frame looked as 'modern' as if designed by Matisse. The stylized corner and centre leaf ornaments , scale and finish harmonize with the forms and palette of the image. The painting can now be easily 'read', the frame has an integrity of its own, and together they make a highly impressive ensemble