Judd - by Ann Temkin (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

The first retrospective in 30 years on American maverick Donald Judd's minimalist sculpture, architecture and furniture

Published to accompany the first US retrospective exhibition of Donald Judd's sculpture in more than 30 years, Judd explores the work of a landmark artist who, over the course of his career, developed a material and formal vocabulary that transformed the field of modern sculpture.

Donald Judd was among a generation of artists in the 1960s who sought to entirely do away with illusion, narrative and metaphorical content. He turned to three dimensions as well as industrial working methods and materials in order to investigate "real space," by his definition. Judd surveys the evolution of the artist's work, beginning with his paintings, reliefs and handmade objects from the early 1960s; through the years in which he built an iconic vocabulary of works in three dimensions, including hollow boxes, stacks and progressions made with metals and plastics by commercial fabricators; and continuing through his extensive engagement with color during the last decade of his life.

This richly illustrated catalog takes a close look at Judd's achievements, and, using newly available archival materials at the Judd Foundation and elsewhere, expands scholarly perspectives on his work. The essays address subjects such as his early beginnings in painting, the fabrication of his sculptures, his site-specific pieces and his work in design and architecture.

Donald Judd (1928-94) began his professional career working as a painter while studying art history and writing art criticism. One of the foremost sculptors of our time, Judd refused this designation and other attempts to label his art: his revolutionary approach to form, materials, working methods and display went beyond the set of existing terms in midcentury New York. His work, in turn, changed the language of modern sculpture.

Review Quotes

The companion catalog to MoMA's retrospective of American sculptor Donald Judd the first in 30 years--is a stunning tribute to the late artist.--Natasha Wolff "Forbes: Media"

Concise and focused, MoMA's "Judd" decidedly places sculpture at the center of his practice, which is too often reduced to minimalism--a term that, much like "sculpture," he resisted. From early paintings executed in the early 1960s to the untitled metallic sculptures for which he is most often associated, the exhibition emphasizes the artist's predilection for experimentation, highlighting the various ways through which he used form, materials, and surrounding environments to reshape traditional artistic practices.--Louis Soulard "Domus"

Serves up a master class in the career of the man credited with putting Marfa on the map and transforming the field of modern sculpture.--Melissa Goldstein "C Magazine"

A concise career overview from [Judd's] early paintings to the legacy of his furniture.--Editors "Cultured"

Several decades on, the art of Donald Judd is still stunning.--Hal Foster "Artforum"

Bright, beautiful, clear, and succinct.--Elizabeth Buhe "Brooklyn Rail"

The jacked-up speed of current cultural consumption had made the challenges his work presents more urgent than ever.--Kenneth Baker "Art Newspaper"

a comprehensive overview of the divisive artist's grasp on abstraction, space, interpretation and the abolition of illusion.--Helen Holmes "Observer New Review"

about as close as you can get to a truly immersive Judd encounter.--Emily Farra "Vogue"

an ode to material and spatial transformation--Lance Esplund "Wall Street Journal"

[Judd's] art, once thought to be too severe to be beautiful, can now be seen to offer pleasures, visual and conceptual, that any audience with open eyes can relate too...--Holland Cotter "New York Times"

A much needed exhalation.--Olivia Hosken "Town & Country"

Does justice not only to Judd's artworks but to his ambition and his intent.--Tom Teicholz "Forbes: Media"

Judd was committed to abstraction and democracy. His work praises human labor and industrial craftsmanship.--John Yau "Hyperallergic"

Judd's minimalism is the ubiquitous dark design energy of everyday modern life. Always there, even if you never consciously recognize it.--Jerry Saltz "New York Magazine: Vulture"

Published to accompany the first US retrospective exhibition of Donald Judd's sculpture in more than 30 years, Judd explores the work of a landmark artist who, over the course of his career, developed a material and formal vocabulary that transformed the field of modern sculpture.--Editors "ARTFIXdaily"

That aesthetic synergy between the work of Judd, who died in 1994, and MoMA brings a certain piquancy to the museum's current Judd retrospective, the first anywhere in more than 30 years. The museum has changed--there have been three renovations and expansions since the '70s--and perhaps so, too, has our understanding of Judd's steely, boxy objects.--Editors at ARTnews "ARTnews"

The first U.S. exhibition of [Judd's] sculptures in more than thirty years. His minimalist forms and surprising use of materials still challenge our perceptions of what indeed might be considered contemporary sculpture.--Ken Scrudato "Blackbook"

There are endless details for furniture historians and fans alike to eagerly seek out.--Madeline Luckel "Architectural Digest"

There couldn't be a better time to revisit an artist who doggedly confronted form, presence, and politics, both on the page and in 'real space.--Aria Dean "Artforum"

When Judd's works are displayed en masse and given enough space, Ms. Temkin argues, it's possible to see the visual power and the extraordinary variety of his work...--Peter Saenger "Wall Street Journal"

While there's admirable integrity in Judd's detailed specifications regarding color, material, process, and exhibition methods, there's also a supreme fussiness and self-importance that touches everything the man ever made. The work wants to argue with whatever qualms you might have about it, and you get the feeling that the work would probably win.--Alina Cohen "Artsy"

Works by Judd are almost routinely beautiful, but coldly and even imperiously so, as if their quality were none of your business.--Peter Schjeldahl "New Yorker"