Donald Judd - Farbe - 2000

“Donald Judd: Farbe” curated by Dietmar Elger

“Donald Judd: Farbe” represents a fundamental study for understanding how one of the major figures of American Minimalism interpreted the chromatic element. Contrary to the common perception of Judd as an artist focused purely on form and industrial material, this catalog — edited by Dietmar Elger — shows that color was for him an autonomous and necessary structural component, on par with space and volume.
The text analyzes the evolution of his artistic practice from the 1960s to the later works, highlighting how Judd rejected the “illusionistic” color of traditional painting. For the artist, color had to be real and objective: for this reason he often used materials such as colored Plexiglas or enameled aluminum with industrial paints (according to the RAL standard).
Through the critical essays contained in the book, his philosophy clearly emerges: color is not used to decorate the form, but to define its spatial identity. Particular attention is paid to works produced in the 1980s and 1990s, during which Judd began to experiment with increasingly complex and bold color combinations, while maintaining the geometric rigor that made him famous. The publication documents how the artist managed to balance the coldness of industrial materials with the vitality of the colored surfaces, transforming each “box” into a unique three-dimensional visual experience.

The volume is in overall very good condition. Dust jacket with light signs of wear. Cover with a signature obscured by white labels on the back. Binding firmly attached. Inner pages clean, with no creases or stains. A good collectible copy.