"Actual space is intrinsically more powerful and specific than paint on a flat surface."  ─ Donald Judd

Donald Judd Portraits & Marfa

Inspired by light, reflections, and shapes, the Donald Judd Portraits & Marfa series pays homage to the American artist Donald Judd, a landmark figure in postwar art history. Much of Judd's work investigated 'real space'’ or three-dimensional objects, using commercial materials such as milled aluminum.

While photographic portraits are usually reserved for people in their environment or taken in a studio setting, in this context, images here are portraits of the artist in his beloved surroundings ─ Marfa, a once dusty town he helped forge into an international arts destination. 

At the Chinati Foundation in Marfa, Texas, squared and quartered window lights flood his seminal artwork, 100 untitled works in mill aluminum, 1982–1986, each sunrise. The adjacent Chihuahuan desert provides a home for Judd's 15 untitled works in concrete, 1980–1984.

All photos of Mr. Judd’s artwork © 2021 Judd Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.