Judd Foundation

Happy to add to the 5 STAR review for the Judd Foundation. We had a spectacular experience. Our guide, Leah, was extremely knowledgeable, and answered any questions we had. Can't recommend this enough if you are fan of minimalist, conceptual art, or just want to learn more about Judd's life and the art that he lived among. You also have to book tickets in advance, as they fill up. The tour we were on included 6 additional people. It's also a great idea to make a day out of the Foundation by traveling nearby to the Earth Room and Broken Kilometer. Two on-site installations by Walter de Maria. Free admission and very much worth it. Enjoy!

Even if you're not a fan of Donald Judd's artistic aesthetic, visiting this museum, once his home, studio and personal gallery space, is a remarkable experience. It's a piece of NYC art history, a rare glimpse into the interior of a great cast-iron building, and a window into the mind and life of a seminal and influential artist. The tours are small and intimate, and you're given a chance to quietly walk around and experience this remarkable space. Truly a hidden gem and not to be missed.

Be sure to visit the restrooms, even if you don't need them. You'll get a look at the subterranean structure that underpins this bit of architectural history. (If the door to the office/study space is open, peek in there, too. It's all built under the sidewalk and into the bedrock)

Having just visited the Chinati Foundation in Marfa, seeing this space really adds a level of depth to the Donald Judd experience. A stunning building in the heart of SoHo.

I've never been a major lover of Donald Judd's work and learning more about it on a tour of the recently opened Judd Foundation (such as, he based many of his sculptures on mathematical formulas) didn't do much to curry him favor with me. I just don't think there should be that much math in art! But nevertheless I really enjoyed touring the space and would recommend it to anyone who can get a reservation (it's by appointment only, and tours are booked far in advance). What's great about it is seeing some of the pieces in Judd's personal art collection, works by his friends who can be found in any big museum of modern art, but here they've been lived with. The art has grown into the house, which makes looking at it a very different experience than a museum. The huge geometric paintings by Frank Stella, an orderly puzzle of angles and curves, where the fruity kitchen colors of the 70s--avocado, oatmeal, lemon, peach--had faded into a lighter, odder palette, or in the bedroom, Dan Flavin's serially off-center array of fluorescent arches, whose red and blue light extended endlessly in the glass dorr on the elevator shaft and yellowed the picture windows with their shine. Curiously, the walk-in closet/dressing room had a caricature by Daumier about the 19th century art salons of Paris, not the kind of thing one would normaly associate with Judd! Also interesting to see the artist's obsession with order domestically applied to his kitchen counters, where all the forks and spoon lay out in a lengthy series.