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Donald Judd exhibition at MoMA
Untitled, 1966/68, by Donald Judd

MoMA to present Donald Judd retrospective in 2020

New York's Museum of Modern Art has announced plans for an exhibition detailing the work and "remarkable vision" of late American designer Donald Judd.

Opening next year, MoMA's Donald Judd exhibition will survey the evolution of his work, beginning with his paintings and objects, to his later years in which he built three-dimensional volumes. It will continue through to his extensive engagement with colour that took place towards the end of his career.

"The exhibition will explore the remarkable vision of an artist who revolutionised the history of sculpture, highlighting the full scope of Judd's career through some 60 works in sculpture, painting, and drawing from public and private collections in the US and abroad," said a statement from the MoMA.

Donald Judd exhibition at MoMA
The exhibit will feature 60 of Judd's works, including sculptures and furniture

Born in Missouri in 1928, Judd moved to New York City as a student and painter, and later developed craft in furniture and site-specific installations. His work is often associated with minimalism – although he reportedly refuted this – and referenced inspiration from the bare deserts of Baja and Texas.

Judd's early furniture includes chairs, beds, shelves, desks and tables, which were originally made with rough lumberyard-cut pine.  In the late 1970s, he became connected professionally and romantically with Italian architect and artist Lauretta Vinciarelli, and the two developed much work together.

In 1984, Judd shifted to produce furniture in anodised aluminium and solid copper sheet metal. He went on to create a series of artworks using the same techniques, including powder coating.

"Half a century after Judd established himself as a leading figure of his time, there remains a great deal to discover," said lead curator Ann Temkin. "MoMA's presentation will emphasise the radicality of his approach to art-making and the visual complexity of his work."

Temkin is producing the exhibition with associate curator Yasmil Raymond, curatorial assistant Tamar Margalit and research fellow Erica Cooke. Completing the installation will be a comprehensive catalogue, featuring essays and information that detail Judd's methods of fabrication.

Donald Judd exhibition at MoMA
The late American artist experimented with a number of materials throughout his career, such as using enamelled aluminum to create colourful objects

Judd died aged 65 in 1994 in Manhattan. His Soho home and studio has since been restored and open to the public.

The exhibit marks the first major retrospective dedicated to the artist and designer to take place in the US in over three decades.

Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City organised the first retrospective of Judd's work in 1968, while London's Tate Modern presented another showcase in 2004.

More recent showcases of his works include an exhibit at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Swedish firm Claesson Koivisto Rune also completed an art gallery was built in Marfa in commemoration to the artist.

The MoMA Donald Judd exhibit will run from 1 March to 11 July 2020.

Earlier this year, the museum revealed it will close its galleries from 15 June to 21 October 2019 in order to complete its Diller Scofidio + Renfro-designed overhaul. It marks the final stages of the major project, which includes the overhaul of the building's east wing.

Among the main aims of the renovation is to allow for a new "curatorial vision" that allows for multi-disciplinary showcases of the architecture and design collections.

Topic-specific exhibitions such as last year's exploration of Yugoslavia's concrete architecture, the 2017 Frank Lloyd Wright retrospective, and the upcoming Donald Judd exhibit will continue to be hosted in individual galleries.

Photography is courtesy of MoMA.