We remember the first time we ever came across a Donald Judd art piece. It was in Introduction to Contemporary Art in college, and we were blown away. The first piece of his we saw was his “Untitled” piece, made of anodized aluminum, steel and acrylic. The piece features ten stacked rectangles attached to a wall. We would go on to discover many of his other works and be amazed by his ability to say so much with so little. He was one of the pioneering influences in the style of minimalism and guess what? He didn’t just make art and visual installations; he created furniture as well.
Minimalist furniture is nothing new on the Swank Lighting blog. Many of the Modern and Mid-Century Modern furniture designers heralded the ideas of minimalism, focusing on functionalism and eschewing ornamentation to create furniture pieces that did what they were intended to do and in an aesthetically pleasing way.
Judd’s furniture seems to take those ideals even farther. When we say his work featured straight lines, we’re not kidding. Lines and structures were kept on the parallel, vertical and horizontal only. Materials were often simple, too, like plywood, colored steel and metal or sometimes Lucite or acrylic. Some of his most notable designs were straight backed and boxy chairs, big, sturdy tables, a tall set of shelves, a simple day bed with high sides, and side tables and chairs with very minimal framework only.
Minimalist furniture is nothing new on the Swank Lighting blog. Many of the Modern and Mid-Century Modern furniture designers heralded the ideas of minimalism, focusing on functionalism and eschewing ornamentation to create furniture pieces that did what they were intended to do and in an aesthetically pleasing way.
Judd’s furniture seems to take those ideals even farther. When we say his work featured straight lines, we’re not kidding. Lines and structures were kept on the parallel, vertical and horizontal only. Materials were often simple, too, like plywood, colored steel and metal or sometimes Lucite or acrylic. Some of his most notable designs were straight backed and boxy chairs, big, sturdy tables, a tall set of shelves, a simple day bed with high sides, and side tables and chairs with very minimal framework only.
The thing we love about Judd’s work is though it is minimal, though his pieces are substantial is size and sturdy, there’s also a bit of vulnerability to them. Structural pieces are thin, not too thin, but not very thick either. Open frame work pieces look like they might snap if you jumped on them. These are more than just furniture pieces abstracted to their most basic shape; they really have a lot of meaning behind them.
Judd is from Excelsior Springs, Missouri. After serving in the army in the 1940s, he took quite a roundabout way through school to art. He first started in philosophy at the College of William and Mary, and continued those studies later at Columbia University School of General Studies. During his schooling, he made money by writing art criticism for major American art magazines; his writings were controversial but well-liked pieces. His early work started with paintings, moving on to sculpture and installations. Believe us when we say he’d need a whole other post to write about the rest of his art! Just trust us when we say his furniture is fabulous!
