Donald Judd

stamped DONALD JUDD 86-26 ALUMINUM AG MENZIKEN SCHWEZ (on the reverse)

25.4 by 114.3 by 25.4 cm. 10 by 45 by 10 in.

Private Collection (acquired directly from the artist)

Waddington Galleries, London

Christie's, New York, 14 November 2002, Lot 367

Private Collection, USA

Anthony Meier, California

Acquired directly from the above by the present owner

Donald Judd's Untitled (Menziken 86-26) from 1986 represents the epitome of the artist's mature engagement with industrial fabrication, serial form, and the phenomenology of space. Judd, a leading figure in the Minimalist movement, rejected the term 'Minimalism' itself, preferring to describe his work as 'specific objects.' This phrase, articulated in his seminal 1965 essay, signals his departure from traditional categories of painting and sculpture. Untitled (Menziken 86-26) - a horizontal aluminium and Plexiglas wall-mounted piece - demonstrates Judd's rigorous pursuit of clarity, order, and material presence.

Fabricated by the Swiss metal company Menziken AG, the work is constructed from brushed aluminium and deep red Plexiglas. Its structure consists of alternating closed and open compartments: solid aluminium panels interspersed with translucent red sections that allow light to penetrate and reflect. The proportions are meticulously calculated, producing a rhythm across the wall that reads as both sculptural and architectural. The piece is not a representation or an illusionistic image; rather, it insists on its own reality as an object occupying space. Judd's use of industrial fabrication eliminates traces of the artist's hand, reinforcing his commitment to objecthood and rejecting the gestural or expressive qualities associated with Abstract Expressionism. The placement of Untitled (Menziken 86-26) on the wall is crucial. Unlike free-standing sculpture, it hovers between object and environment, demanding that the viewer consider both the work's physical presence and the surrounding architecture. Judd believed that space itself was a material, writing that 'actual space is intrinsically more powerful and specific than paint on a flat surface.' (Judd, Donald. 'Specific Objects.' Arts Yearbook 8, 1965, pp. 74-82.) Here, space operates on two levels: internally, as light activates the Plexiglas chambers and creates depth within the object; and externally, as the work alters the viewer's perception of the wall and room. The translucent red compartments subtly modulate light, generating dynamic shifts as the viewer moves - what appears opaque from one angle becomes luminous from another.

Materiality is equally central to the work's impact. The brushed aluminium surfaces reflect ambient light softly, avoiding theatrical glare while emphasizing precision and purity. The industrial materials carry no symbolic associations beyond their physical properties, aligning with Judd's insistence on 'real materials in real space.' His collaboration with Menziken underscores the shift in late-20th-century art toward fabrication and the integration of art with manufacturing processes. By outsourcing production, Judd emphasized design, proportion, and concept over manual craftsmanship, a move that paralleled contemporaneous developments in architecture and design.

Formally, Untitled (Menziken 86-26) embodies Judd's interest in seriality and modular structure. The alternating sequence of panels creates a visual cadence without narrative or hierarchy. Each segment is equivalent in importance, reinforcing Judd's democratic approach to form: there is no privileged focal point. This serial logic, evident across Judd's oeuvre, owes something to the influence of mathematics and industrial design, but it is never rigid or mechanical. The red Plexiglas inserts introduce variation through light and colour, preventing the work from slipping into monotony. The work also engages viewers phenomenologically. Its scale - neither monumental nor diminutive - encourages close inspection and bodily movement. As one shifts position, reflections and colour saturations change, producing a sense of temporal experience within a static object. This aspect aligns Judd's practice with phenomenological concerns articulated by contemporaries like Robert Morris, who explored how perception and movement activate Minimalist sculpture.

In the broader context of Judd's career, Untitled (Menziken 86-26) reflects his mature style, developed after his move to Marfa, Texas, where he created large-scale installations integrating art and architecture. The work anticipates his permanent installations in Marfa's converted buildings, where space, light, and material form an inseparable whole. Its precision and restraint reveal Judd's conviction that beauty lies in clarity, proportion, and direct engagement with the real. Untitled (Menziken 86-26) exemplifies Donald Judd's radical rethinking of sculpture in the late 20th century. Through industrial materials, modular form, and the manipulation of space and light, Judd transforms a simple wall-mounted object into a complex perceptual event. The piece affirms his belief that art need not represent or narrate - it need only exist fully, with absolute integrity, in the world we inhabit.