Book Description
One of the leading representatives of Minimalism, Donald Judd's "specific objects," made of steel, wood, aluminum, and Plexiglass, undertook a radical and revolutionary analysis and redefinition of sculpture as it exists in space. Somewhat less familiar are Judd's numerous architectural and furniture designs, works which are closely related in formal terms to his ubiquitous art objects but which much more successfully reflect his concerns with utility. To best understand this aspect of Judd's work, a visit to Marfa, Texas is in order. In 1971, Judd bought an old fort near this small town; by systematically acquiring and transforming more and more local property, he amassed the largest ensemble of contemporary art in the world, with permanent installations of his own work and that of Carl Andre, John Chamberlan, Dan Flavin, and others. "Donald Judd: Architecture" presents drawings, design sketches, ground plans, and photographs of the grounds and architecture of this Minimalist desert oasis, and bears witness to Judd's role as the visionary architect and stage director of his own oeuvre. This book first appeared in 1991, in German. It has been thoroughly revised and expanded for this, its first English edition. "Art and architecture--all the arts--do not have to exist in isolation, as they do now. This fault is very much a key to the present society. Architecture is nearly gone, but it, art, all the arts, in fact all parts of the society, have to be rejoined, and joined more than they have ever been. This would be democratic in a good sense, unlike the present increasing fragmentation into separate but equal categories." --Donald Judd Edited by Peter Noever, of MAK, Vienna. Essays by Donald Judd, Rudi Fuchs, Brigitte Huck. 8.75 x 11.5 in. 25 color, 84 b/w illustrations English/German
About the Author
Donald Judd was born in 1928. Convinced that Abstract Expressionism had deteriorated into fakery, Judd began around 1960 to search for an art free of falsehood. In search of a greater simplicity and clarity, he evolved a formal vocabulary of identical rectangular units constructed of industrial materials. He died in 1994.
Donald Judd: Architecture FROM THE PUBLISHER
"Donald Judd was one of the leading artists of the second half of the twentieth century. His "specific objects" - which he refused to call sculpture - represent a radical and revolutionary use of space, scale, and materials. By contrast, the primary concern in his many drafts and designs for architecture and furniture is utility, although the formal relationship to his artistic objects is plain." "All facets of Judd's work converge in Marfa, West Texas, where he systematically turned an abandoned fort into one of the world's major ensembles of contemporary art. This book uses drawings, plans, and photographs of Marfa to illustrate Judd's radical approach to architecture and design, and to demonstrate the meticulous attention he paid to the settings for his installations. Photographs of Judd's aluminum and wooden furniture series and examples of his plywood tables, chairs, and shelves display his stringent application of aesthetic brevity and precision in form and material." First published in German in 1991, this revised and expanded edition contains additional illustrations and several essays that have not previously appeared in English. Donald Judd's original contribution, an anti-war essay written during the 1991 Gulf War, is complemented by a second essay on the relationship between art and architecture.
Art & Photography
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