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Fact sheet
March 2006


Overview and Mission
Judd Foundation is a 501c(3) Private Operating Foundation created in 1996 by the last will and testament of artist Donald Judd to maintain and preserve his permanently installed living and working spaces, libraries and archives in New York and Marfa, Texas.

Judd Foundation's mission is to promote a wider understanding of and appreciation for Judd's artistic legacy by facilitating public access to these spaces and resources, and by developing scholarly and educational programs.


Donald Judd
Brief Biography
Donald Judd revolutionized practices and attitudes surrounding sculpture and the exhibition of art, primarily advocating for the permanent installation of works by artists in carefully selected environments. Judd achieved this goal for his own work and that of his colleagues at both his studio/residence at 101 Spring Street in New York and in various locations in and around Marfa, Texas.

Born Donald Clarence Judd on June 3, 1928, in Excelsior Springs, Missouri, the artist served in the United States Army in Korea, then attended The College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia; the Art Students League, New York; and Columbia University, New York, where he received a B.S. in Philosophy, cum laude, in 1953.

Judd's first solo exhibition was in 1957 at the Panoras Gallery, New York, the same year he began graduate studies in art history at Columbia University. Over the next decade, Judd worked as a critic for Art News, Arts Magazine, and Art International; his subsequent theoretical writings on art and exhibition practices would prove to be one of his important and lasting legacies.

Over the next four decades, Judd exhibited regularly and widely, at galleries in New York, including Leo Castelli Gallery, as well as across the U.S., Europe and Japan. During his lifetime, major exhibitions of Judd's work occurred at The Whitney Museum of American Art, New York (1968, 1988); The National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa (1975); Stedelijk Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven, The Netherlands (1987); and The Saint Louis Art Museum (1991), among other museum exhibitions. More recent exhibitions have taken place at the Museum of Modern Art, New York (1995); The Museum of Modern Art, Saitama, Japan (1999); Walker Art Center, Minneapolis (2001); and Tate Modern, London (2004), among others.

Judd received grants and awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Swedish Institute, and the John Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, among others. He married dancer Julie Finch in 1964 (later divorced) and had two children, son Flavin Starbuck Judd in 1968 and daughter Rainer Yingling Judd in 1970. While still maintaining his residence in New York at 101 Spring Street, Judd moved to Marfa, Texas, in 1972, where he would live and work until his death on February 12, 1994.


101 Spring Street
New York, New York
Owned and maintained by Judd Foundation, 101 Spring Street was the first home and studio of Donald Judd. Bought in 1968, it was the incubator for the artist's innovative ideas on space, permanent installation and living. Designed by Nicholas White in 1870, 101 Spring Street is also the last remaining single-use cast iron building in SoHo. In September 2000, The National Trust for Historic Preservation designated the building as a founding member of its historic artist's homes and studios program; it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as part of the SoHo Cast-Iron District in New York, NY.

101 Spring Street includes early works by Judd, Dan Flavin, Lucas Samaras, Ad Reinhardt, Frank Stella, John Chamberlain, Carl Andre, David Novros, Claes Oldenburg, and Marcel Duchamp, among others. The house gives insight into the artist experience in the SoHo of the '60s and '70s as much as it provides valuable understanding into Judd's own working practices. The works on view at 101 Spring Street remain as they were installed by Judd.

To quote Donald Judd: "My requirements were that the building be useful for living and working and more importantly, more definitely, be a space in which to install work of mine and others. I spent a great deal of time placing the art and a great deal designing the renovation in accordance. Everything from the first was intended to be thoroughly considered and to be permanent."


Marfa, Texas
Judd Foundation holds and maintains Judd's private living and working spaces in Marfa, Texas. 16 buildings in total, these spaces include studios installed with artwork-both his and others-living quarters, ranch and architecture offices, and libraries. These spaces are commonly referred to as The Block, The Bank Building, The Print Building, Safeway Studio, Cobb House, Schindler House, Ranch and Architecture Office.

Casa Perez
Casa Morales
Las Casas

Located in the Chihuahuan Mountains outside Marfa, Donald Judd purchased three separate ranch houses and the surrounding lands. It was in these mountains that Judd further explored ideas of nature conservation, landscape and art.


Archives
Judd Foundation holds and preserves the artist's archives on his work and exhibition history, including his writings, correspondence, historical documents pertaining to his relationship with other artists and art institutions, as well as photographs, videos, an expansive research library, and fabrication drawings. Following ongoing cataloguing, these archives will eventually be made accessible to scholars and the public. (The foundation has begun preliminary works towards the creation of an artist's catalogue raisonné.)


Judd Foundation
Chinati Foundation
As per Judd's wishes there are-and always have been-two separate legal entities to further his legacy:

Judd Foundation and Chinati Foundation

Judd Foundation buildings in Marfa and New York offer access to the private living and working spaces of the artist.

Chinati Foundation is a public institution founded by the artist during his lifetime, resulting from his collaboration with DIA Foundation, to create a new kind of institution based on the idea of permanent installations. (Judd's 100 mill aluminum pieces and outdoor concrete works are permanently installed here.)

Chinati Foundation and Judd Foundation collaborate in Marfa on various initiatives including tours. And, Judd Foundation has works on long-term loan to Chinati.


Public Tours and Events
Regularly scheduled tours are offered at Judd's studios and residences in Marfa and New York. Knowledgeable guides provide an art historical perspective on Judd and his philosophy on art and installation.

Tours in Marfa are coordinated so visitors may view Judd Foundation and neighboring Chinati Foundation in succession. Tours of the Block are available to the public Wed-Sunday afternoons. Additional Judd Foundation spaces may be toured by appointment.

In conjunction with Chinati Foundation, Judd Foundation co-hosts Open House, an annual weekend of public programming in Marfa originally inaugurated by Judd in 1987. Open House serves several thousand visitors each year, including local, national and international art enthusiasts. The event includes film screenings, artist talks, tours and exhibitions, all of which are free of charge.

101 Spring Street is open by appointment. It is the Foundation's goal to fully restore 101 Spring Street and make it accessible to the public. The Foundation anticipates utilizing the ground floor for public programs including artist's talks and symposia.


Programs
Judd Foundation supports Judd exhibitions by lending works, providing scholarly guidance, access to archival information, images and appraising.

In 2005, Judd Foundation began an Oral History project to digitally record interviews with many of Judd's colleagues, from artists, curators and friends to studio assistants and fabricators.

In 2005, Judd Foundation initiated an undergraduate internship program at 101 Spring Street, in partnership with New York University's Gallatin School of Individualized Study and the Fine Arts department in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Judd Foundation continues to exhibit and produce Judd Furniture, thereby increasing awareness of Judd's engagement in design and architecture. Further programs will be announced in 2006.


Publications and Website
In addition to promoting Judd scholarship by providing rights clearance on copyrighted writings and images and assistance with articles, independent publications and exhibition catalogues by museums and art institutions, Judd Foundation worked with the original publishers to re-release an anthology of writings by Donald Judd, Complete Writings 1959-1975 and Donald Judd Architecture.

Judd Foundation is in the final design stages of a comprehensive website, which includes images and descriptions of Judd's studios and residences in Texas and New York, as well as critical biographical information on the artist and his breadth of work.


Judd Foundation Board and New Director
Judd Foundation is overseen by an active board comprised of the artist's daughter, Rainer Judd, Board President, her brother, Flavin Judd, and members Rob Beyer, Louisa Sarofim, Richard Schlagman and John Wotowicz. Barbara Hunt McLanahan, former Executive Director of Artists Space, was hired in December 2005 as Judd Foundation Executive Director.


Creating an Endowment
It was Judd's intention for the uninstalled works owned by the Foundation to be a source of revenue for an endowment that would help preserve the permanently installed works and spaces in both New York and Marfa. On May 9, 2006, Christie's New York will auction a portion of Donald Judd's uninstalled artwork owned and managed by the Foundation, the proceeds of which will provide the cornerstone funds for the Foundation's endowment. Additional private and public sources will also be required to build the endowment in the coming years.


Administration
Judd Foundation's administrative offices are located at 101 Spring Street in New York. The Foundation also maintains archives, works and offices in Marfa, Texas. Foundation staff includes a total of six full-time and six part-time employees in New York, and Marfa.

Contacts
Judd Foundation
101 Spring Street
New York NY 10012
T: 212.219.2747
info@juddfoundation.org

Media contact
John Melick or Antoine Vigne
Blue Medium, Inc.
T: 212.675.1800
john@bluemedium.com


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