Page 50 - Studio International - April 1969
P. 50
Complaints I haven't written anything in quite a while; I work has connections to so-called abstract
have a lot of complaints. Most of these are work. (I don't like the word 'abstract'.) Or, I
about attempts to close the fairly open situation think American art is far better than that any-
part I of contemporary art. There are a lot of argu- where else but I don't think that situation is
ments for closure: a whole aesthetic or style, a desirable. Actually, it's international art in
half aesthetic or movement, a way of working, America and the best thing that could happen
Don Judd history or development, seniority, juniority, would be equal international art elsewhere.
money and galleries, sociology, politics, In 1964 I wrote an article on the difference
nationalism. Most discussion of these aspects between the years just before and after 1960.
is absolute; something is the only true art and Most of the artists, the followers by definition
something else has got to go. Usually little is of a majority, and the galleries were fixed
said about particular works and artists and upon Abstract Expressionism. It was a style
nothing about the actual differences and and the only legitimate one. Every little
similarities between artists. I've read very debaser was praised as a great artist by Irving
little about the present kind of large scale and Sandler and Max Kozloff and painted a
it is common to almost everyone. It's very painting in Art News. But Reinhardt and
definite and will some day be an obvious aspect Rauschenberg, for example, were irrelevant
of the time. That's true of colour also, and of flukes. It was an unpleasant situation and
wholeness, which has been discussed some. somewhat like the extremely warped one that
Everything on the list should be considered existed in the U.S. before the late forties. By
but almost never should any argument result 1960 it became evident that the best work
in the destructive conclusion that is the usual wasn't among the so-called abstract expres-
ending, or apparent ending, since often it's sionists, except for some of the original ones,
the premise. Obviously everyone is going to Rothko, Newman and Still, and one later one,
prefer kinds of art. I prefer art that isn't Frankenthaler. There were Reinhardt and
associated with anything and am tired of the Rauschenberg, Louis, Noland, Johns and
Donald Judd Untitled 1968 various kinds of dada, and don't think, for ex- then Chamberlain, di Suvero, Bontecou,
galvanized iron, 63 x 73 x 120 in. (39 units)
Leo Castelli Gallery ample, that the work of Johns and Rauschen- Stella, Oldenburg, Rosenquist and Lichten-
2 berg is so momentous. But it's good and I'm stein.
Donald Judd Untitled 1967 not at all inclined to rank them below every In the last three years or so I've thought that
stainless steel, 2+ x 24 x 20+ in.
Edition of 200 (from Castelli Ten Portfolio) last abstract artist. And I know that their Clement Greenberg and his followers have
