Ex-friend revisits Donald Judd from paint to objects in new book
A friendship that ended in France in 1975 has produced a new book on the US artist Donald Judd, who lived from 1928 to 1994.
The Sculpture of Donald Judd, by Neil Levine, traces Judd's development from painting to three-dimensional objects, works that leave the flat canvas behind and occupy real space. It is presented as the first chronological analysis of his practice, according to The Art Newspaper.
Levine knew his subject at close range. In spring 1965, he was assigned by Artnews to review a group exhibition at the Green Gallery that included Judd. A friendship followed.
It lasted from roughly 1965 to 1975. Then they fell out. Levine's trip to France with Judd in 1975 was the last time the two spoke.
That long view shapes the book. Levine said he discovered the significance of found objects to Judd's early work only while writing it — found objects, meaning everyday items and materials folded into art rather than made from scratch.
Two early works help tell that story. Untitled (1961) belongs to the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. To Susan Buckwalter, a work of projecting volumes hanging from the wall, appears on the cover of Levine's book.
The book is published by Yale University Press as a 180-page hardback. The US edition is listed at US$40.00 and scheduled for publication on 27 October 2026, according to Yale University Press. The UK edition is listed at £30.00 with publication scheduled for 20 October 2026, according to Yale University Press UK.
What makes this stand out for general readers is the access behind it. This is not a distant survey. It is a friend-turned-historian returning after 50 years to work out how the paintings became objects, and what the spare parts left behind can tell us.
