Judd Foundation in New York

The Judd Foundation is the home and museum of the legendary artist Donald Judd, one of the founders of minimalism. Here, every object is placed exactly as the artist intended.

History

Donald Judd (1928–1994) was an American artist and theorist whose ideas about “specific objects” revolutionized the concept of sculpture.

The artist argued that a work should be neither traditional sculpture nor painting — it should exist on its own, as an autonomous object in space. Such objects neither depict nor symbolize anything, but simply exist — they are material, precise, and interact with their surroundings through form, scale, light, and architecture.

In 1968, Donald Judd purchased a five-story industrial building at 101 Spring Street in SoHo, a neighborhood far removed from its current glamor. It housed abandoned factories and warehouses.

The artist converted the building into a living and working studio, meticulously conceiving every element — from the furniture arrangement to the placement of sculptures and lighting.

After his death in 1994, the Judd family founded the Judd Foundation to preserve the space in its original form and make it open to the public.

Collection and exhibitions

Unlike traditional museums, the Judd Foundation is less like an exhibition space and more like an installation in the artist’s home.

On each of the five floors, visitors will find not only Judd’s works but also objects from his everyday life, books, furniture, and other artists’ works.

Judd’s central idea was that art should exist in a permanent context, without display. Therefore, all the objects in the house remain in their original locations, as they were during his lifetime.

Fun facts

This is one of the first industrial loft spaces converted into housing and studio space in New York City.

Judd designed the furniture himself, using wood, plywood, and steel.

The Foundation has a second location in Texas — 104 S Highland Ave, Marfa, TX 79843 — where Judd created a large-scale complex out of former military warehouses.