Kind of a dumb question but I’ve never lived in an apartment and my son just moved into one – a regular high-rise type building. He’s trying to hang pictures and failing – apparently the nails are not going in and getting bent. I’m going over there tomorrow to help and wondering what I should be prepared for. I assume apartment walls are concrete, but are they covered with ordinary drywall? What is the usual approach to hanging pictures in an apartment building? I don’t want to use any of the adhesive stuff, so it’s either picture hangers or screws.
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Why?
Command Strips would be perfect for this.
They might or might not be. Could just be painted concrete, or concrete with knockdown texture applied directly. Or it might have a vapor barrier and a layer of drywall on it, though in that case the nails would obviously penetrate the drywall and no further. Or heck, maybe it’s steel framed and your son’s just getting unlucky.
I’d second the use of 3M Command Strips. I use them to hang a hefty wreath on my front door. Lasts for months even outdoors.
I worry about them either falling off or causing wall damage. I believe the pictures are fairly heavy.
ETA: I don’t have an estimate of weight, but he says they’re 24" x 36" and mounted behind glass, so not light!
You can use more than one strip for larger weights. The package for the strips will give you their rated holding weight.
I use them all the time and they are solid. Best, they come off the wall cleanly with no mark.
Of course, “lasts for months before a heavy glass picture comes down on someone’s head” is not exactly confidence-inspiring! 
I concur with the use of multiple hangers, even with heavy-duty normal nailed-in picture hangers. I did that with one of my pictures because I wasn’t sure that one would be enough.
I’m just saying I don’t have data past “months” 
. Seems like if it lasts for months, then years are fine, too.
The small hooks that MindsEye_Watering linked to are only rated to 0.5 lbs, but the medium hooks are rated to 3 lbs and the large ones 5 lbs. And of course you can use more than one.
The largest ones I could find are rated for 16 lbs. A pair of them looks like a promising solution if traditional methods fail.
Thanks, I appreciate the advice from everyone. Naturally, the denizens of the Dope are going to prefer a high-tech solution like high-tech adhesives instead of nails and screws! But I remember the adhesive-attached space shuttle tiles falling off all over the place! 
If you are set on nailed in hangers, I would suggest the “Ook Professional” hangers. Their nails are hardened and very sharp, and when removed leave a very tiny hole. But first verify what the walls are made of.
If your car has been made in the last several years, it’s probably been glued together.
I’m head of maintenance for a pretty large property management company. Given that the walls are hard enough to bend nails, I strongly advise contacting the apartments and have their maintenance man do it for you.
No liability to you at move out and they will probably appreciate it.
I have a brick wall in my family room. I hung a picture from the ceiling using invisible line.
The only thing is there are fairly specific instructions for the command strips, which you need to follow.
Assuming you found these, I’ve used them in pairs for heavy pictures. They’ve lasted years now.
I don’t recommend Command hooks for anything you truly value. In my years as a custom art framer, I cannot tell you the number of times people came in with broken frames and damaged art (usually from the glass breaking and tearing it) because the command hooks eventually gave way. I know they work for a lot of people, but you have to decide if the possibility of losing your artwork is worth it.
Multiple points of contact is always a good idea and makes the frame more stable on the wall (less likely to tilt by someone dusting or brushing past it). I agree with the advice to speak to the maintenance person at he apartments and see what they suggest.
Command strips work fine if you follow the directions. One critical point is to wait an hour or so after applying them before hanging anything on them. Of course, any technology is going to fail if people don’t use it correctly. It’s not hard to use them correctly, you just have to pay attention.
I’ve had a heavy glass mirror hanging up for 10 years using Command strips (it would be longer, but that was when we remodeled that room). This is in my own house, because I don’t like nail holes in the walls. Another semi-antique mirror, not as heavy, has been hanging in the same spot for 16 years. Just use more hooks than you think you’ll need.
I second Ook Professional brand.
Please have your son check his lease before using traditional methods to hang framed artwork or anything else. Mine strictly forbids nails, and management has told me (and neighbors who’ve moved out have verified) that nail holes in walls mean less of the security deposit will be returned.
You may have to weigh the security deposit against the cost of the frames, though IME, the number of framed objects that have fallen in the 5 years I’ve lived here (one) is nowhere near what nail holes or adhesive that strips paint would cost me when I move out.
Unless you patch them before you move out. That’s usually how it works in apartments; you do what you want so long as you restore it to the condition you got it. A $5 tub of spackle is all it really takes, and if they’re going to repaint between tenants then you don’t even have to worry if the color doesn’t match.