American sculptor Donald Judd is one of the most influential figures in twentieth century art. Though reluctant with the categorization, Judd is often associated with Minimalism. In his groundbreaking 1965 essay “Specific Objects,” Judd writes that “actual space is intrinsically more powerful and specific than paint on a flat surface.” He developed works intended to exist beyond the strict designations of painting, sculpture, and architecture. Untitled (DSS 41), 1963, in Glenstone’s collection, is an important early piece from a time when Judd was experimenting with innovations for which he would become known, such as creating art as a concept and outsourcing creative labor to fabricators who used industrial materials to make the finished artworks. Seemingly machine-made with sharp edges, the art object is painted but does not hang from a wall; has mass but is not displayed on a pedestal. It sits on the floor almost as a provocation, asking: can this be art?

–Anne Reeve, from the Glenstone Field Guide