Samsung’s New TV Doubles as a Piece of Art

Samsung’s new television, designed by the famous Yves Béhar, is more than just a screen to watch Game of Thrones on. When the device turns off, it becomes a digital frame filled with professional art, seamlessly blending in with the rest of your decor.

The Frame is part smart TV, part digital art display—and completely unique. While companies like Electric Objects already offer dynamic screens designed specifically to display a curated selection of paintings, photography, and other pieces of visual art, The Frame is possibly the first one to combine still art and television (though the Chromecast’s screensaver options include a stream of photography and art from Google). The TV looks very much like a traditional art frame, with customizable frame finishes to allow it to blend in with your modern decor and the other art on your wall.

When it’s turned off, The Frame displays a piece of art from a collection of about 100 artworks selected by curator Elise Van Middelem. The 38 contemporary artists whose work is available on the platform probably aren’t familiar to you—and that’s sort of the point. The Frame offers multiple genres to choose from, like landscapes, still lifes, and patterns, but it’s designed as a way to expose people to new works and new artists rather than showing the same Ansel Adams photograph they’ve seen a million times.

While it’s in display mode, the device adjusts to the ambient light in the room, so your digital screen isn’t glowing brightly in a dark room. It’s designed to mimic the original artwork as closely as possible. Then, when you turn it on, it functions like any other television.

“We view The Frame as an entry into home décor and art—allowing people to build a personal collection in an accessible, affordable manner,” Béhar says in a press statement. “The Frame shifts our paradigm of what a television can be; on or off, it adds value to our walls and our daily life. With The Frame, we believe the flat black box on a wall can be transformed into personal style and daily inspirations.”

All images courtesy Samsung