Spatial reflections of Donald Judd: From the box object to La Mansana de Chinati in Marfa, Texas

Abstract

Among the many architectural themes addressed by the artist Donald Judd in his career, the notion of spatial limit was one of his major interests in the seventies, after the rise of the minimalist movement. That is why this study aims to shed light on this question, developed by the American author from a simultaneous work in art and architecture. A fact that highlights his interdisciplinary work with space, in a continuous transfer between areas of creation that was evident throughout his career. In the analysis of this spatial idea, his achievements in both disciplines are examined chronologically, beginning with the elemental exploration of his box objects and progressing to more ambitious projects, such as his La Mansana de Chinati complex in Marfa, Texas. A singular intervention with which he transferred to architecture the spatial principles tested with his objects, making the space contained within the limits habitable. In short, some proposals are discovered in which this limit is the mediator of a space, specifically designed to promote the interest of the spectator or inhabitant, in the integrative perceptual experience defended by Donald Judd.