Donald Judd

Pace Wildenstein, New York
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner

Colour: The colours in the catalogue illustration are fairly accurate, although the overall tonality is slightly deeper and richer in the original. The catalogue illustration fails to convey fully the projecting three-dimensionality of the sculpture. Condition: This work is in very good condition. There are several angular scratches in the right half of the underside surface towards the back and a very minor horizontal scratch on the left outside of the box towards the back. Close inspection reveals a very minor surface nick to the centre of the top inside surface, and two others towards the centre and front of the right outside of the box. There are very light handling marks to areas throughout the exterior of the box.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Donald Judd's Untitled "Meter" box of 1977 beautifully manifests the artist's historic maxim that "Material, space and colour are the main aspects of visual art". As both single and multiple units, the number of 1977 "Meter" boxes totals just four, each having a completely unique colour and the present work being the first version realized. The distinctive focus of this rare suite contrasts starkly with other cycles Judd created, such as the "Menziken" boxes he produced throughout the eighties and nineties and which were named after an area in Switzerland where he had set up a studio and a home.

 

The unique colour of the present work further affirms its importance and rarity, as Judd was especially attracted to this hue: "I like the colour and I like the quality of cadmium red light. And then also, I thought for a colour it had the light value for a three dimensional object. If you paint something black or any other colour, you cannot tell what the edges are like. If you paint it white, it seems small and purist. And the red, other than gray of that value, seems to be the only colour that really makes an object sharp and defines its contours and angles" (The artist cited in: Exhibition Catalogue, Pasadena, California, Pasadena Art Museum, Don Judd, 1971).

 

Judd devoted his mature career to defining the autonomy and clarity of the constructed object and its surrounding space, and this is encapsulated by Untitled. Indeed, in the final analysis, the present work stands as the serene précis of the artist's declaration that "Three dimensions are real space. That gets rid of the problem of illusionism and of literal space, space in and around marks and colours-which is riddance of one of the salient and most objectionable relics of European art. The several limits of painting are no longer present. A work can be as powerful as it can be thought to be. Actual space is intrinsically more powerful and specific than paint on a flat surface" (The artist cited in: Donald Judd, Some Aspects of Colour in General and Red and Black in Particular, Sassenheim 1993).