Artist 47: Donald Judd

Donald Judd was born in 1928 in Missouri.  In 1948 he enrolled in the Art Students League to study painting and drawing.  After only a few months on the Art Students League he transferred to the College of William and Mary.  In 1949 he transferred again to Columbia University to study philosophy and he began taking classes at the Art Students League again.  By the late 1950s he was experimenting with three-dimensional art and in 1957 he began the master’s program in Art History at Columbia University.  He had his first solo show in 1957; it included only paintings at this time.  By the early 1960s Judd had totally left painting for sculpture.  He combined found objects with industrial materials like, steel, concrete, aluminum, and plywood.  He is said to be at the forefront of the international Minimalist art movement.  Unlike many artists, he was inspired by the architecture, objects, and installation of his peers in the art world.  In his works he removed the human or emotional element and rather than placing his art on a pedestal he placed it directly on the gallery floor of his shows.  In 1965 he began to experiment with sculpture that moved up the walls of galleries.  Between 1962 and 1967 he taught at different Institutes, Colleges, and Universities.