Bidspirit auction | Donald Judd I-L Cadmium Red

Donald Judd I-L Cadmium Red Parallelogram Woodcut - Donald Judd (American, 1928-1994). Woodcut in cadmium red, 1961-1969. In the form of a parallelogram. Pencil signed, dated ”61-69,” editioned 1/10, and inscribed ”I-L” along the verso. Provenance: Dayton's Gallery 12, Minneapolis, Minnesota; Private Minnesota Collection. Lot essay: A landmark figure in post-war American art, Donald Judd was a leading pioneer of Minimalism. Following his service in the United States Army in Korea from 1946 to 1947, Judd studied philosophy and art history at Columbia University, and took painting classes at the Art Students League. He first gained public recognition as an influential art critic between 1959 and 1965. During this period, he transitioned from abstract painting to three-dimensional work, a pivotal shift outlined in his seminal 1965 essay ”Specific Objects”. The text championed art unconstrained by traditional painting and sculpture, advocating instead for an exploration of real space through industrial materials and unified forms. In the 1960s, Judd became renowned for sleek, boxlike constructions crafted from plywood, sheet metal, and plexiglass, often finished with commercial fabrication techniques. Stacked and aligned in geometric arrangements, these rigid geometric structures rejected traditional composition, focusing entirely on the physical object itself. While integrating elements of architecture, sculpture, and painting, Judd refused to call his works sculptures, associating the term with handcrafted art of an earlier era. He preferred the designation ”specific objects” to emphasize their neutral, discrete presence. Over a career spanning nearly four decades, Judd exhibited extensively across North America, Europe, and Asia. His work was featured in major retrospectives at institutions including the Whitney Museum of American Art, the National Gallery of Canada, the Stedelijk Van Abbemuseum, Tate Modern, and The Museum of Modern Art. Beyond his artistic production, Judd was a devoted advocate for land preservation, empirical knowledge, and engaged citizenship, writing extensively on these topics until his death in 1994. Sight; height: 25 1/2 in x width: 17 1/2 in. Framed; height: 26 in x width: 17 1/2 in x depth: 1 1/4 in. Condition: There are no tears or losses. The sheet is unevenly toned; there is evidence of very light tidelines along the extreme edges. Undulation to the sheet. To the plexiglass casing, there are several losses and wear.