Donald Judd Foundation On My Shelf

 ‘Words to describe colours are scarce.’ Donald Judd, 1993. 

Delve into a selection of poetry, prose, fiction and non-fiction that our artists have written or turned to over the years for research or inspiration. 

Donald Judd was always strongly connected to the written word. His immense library contained many volumes on philosophy, geography, art, nature and science which shaped both his artistic and critical practice. He was an avid reader and a prolific critic, writing over 600 essays and reviews which examined the contemporary state of art.

Judd’s remarkable and vibrant essay ‘Some Aspects of Color in General and Red and Black in Particular’, 1993, demonstrates his incisive and visual use of the written word in an important reflection on colour’s relationship to space. Read the essay below, published in Donald Judd, Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, 2019. 

While MoMa’s Judd retrospective is currently closed to the public, you can browse a 30-page catalogue sample online as well as 21 audio clips of artists and writers reflecting on his work.