Donald Judd (progression sculptures) explained

Donald Judd's progression sculptures are a series of wall sculptures created between 1964^[1] and the 1970s.^[2] Each work is similar in form, with Judd's choice of material varying depending on the date of production.^[3] Judd based each work on a simple mathematical sequence such as the Fibonacci Sequence.^{[4] [5] [6]} He typically called the works Untitled, sometimes adding the word progression to the title. Judd, along with fellow artists, Dan Flavin and Mel Bochner, was interested in the minimalist notion of seriality or serial progression rather than the more classical relational method of composition.^[7]

Works

• Untitled (Progression) is a 1965 work made of painted and galvanized aluminum, held by the Saint Louis Art Museum.^[8]
• Untitled, made in 1965, is a maroon and silver aluminum sculpture held by the Whitney Museum of Art. The original version of the work was painted with a Harley-Davidson motorcycle paint whose color was called "Hi-Fi Purple". The work was restored in 1976 and 2005.^[9]
• Untitled, held by the Indianapolis Museum of Art, was created in 1967. It consists of a brass bar over a series of five steel boxes in Judd's signature cadmium red.^[10] The long brass bar is both hollow and open at both ends. The red boxes increase geometrically in size from right to left, with the fifth box being sixteen times the length of the first. Conversely, the voids between the boxes decrease geometrically, the leftmost space being one quarter the size of the rightmost. The actual fabrication was performed by the Bernstein Brothers firm.^{[11] [4]}
• Untitled, made in 1969, was fabricated from extruded aluminum and polished aluminum. A mathematical sequence of 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21 is represented in a series of polished aluminum blocks. The work is held by the Van Abbe Museum, Eindhoven.^[12]
• Untitled (Progression), made in 1970, sets five blocks of blue-purple anodized aluminum against a long clear anodized square rod. It is held in the collection of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.^[13]
• Untitled, made in 1973, is a copper wall sculpture that added 1.5 inches to the width of each protrusion from left to right. It is held by the Tate Museum, London.^[14]
• Untitled, made in 1976 from clear anodized and chartreuse anodized aluminum,is held by the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, Italy. In it, the width of the chartreuse blocks present a reverse Fibonacci sequence when viewed from left to right.^[15]
• Untitled, made in 1976 and held by the Nasher Sculpture Center is a clear and green anodized aluminum version of the progression sculptures.^[16]
• Untitled, produced in 1978, is held by the National Gallery of Canada. The work, made of clear anodized and green anodized aluminum, follows a dual Fibonacci sequence.^[17]

Notes and References

1. Book: The PaineWebber Art Collection. 9780847817917. Flam. Jack D.. Beudert. Monique. Wells. Jennifer. 1995.
2. Web site: Go See – London: Donald Judd's 'Progressions 1960s and 1970s' at Simon Lee Gallery through January 29th 2010.
3. Book: Donald Judd, Colorist. 9783893228782. Elger. Dietmar. 2000.
4. Web site: McCoy. Richard. No Preservatives: Preservation, Perfection, and Patina: Eleanor Nagy Discusses Preserving Judd's Art. . 2 October 2012. 29 Jun 2011.
5. Book: Imagine Math 3: Between Culture and Mathematics. 9783319012315. Emmer. Michele. 2015-03-04.
6. Web site: Artspace. 1992.
7. Godfrey . Mark . Moralia Minima, review of Minimalism: Art and Polemics in the Sixties by James Meyer . Oxford Art Journal . 2003 . 26 . 1 . 169 . 3600454 .
8. Web site: Untitled (Progression).
9. The Re-Restoration of Donald Judd's 'Untitled, 1965'. Modern Paints Uncovered. Gottschaller. Pia. January 2007.
10. Book: Lee. Ellen Wardwell. Robinson. Anne. Indianapolis Museum of Art: Highlights of the Collection. Indianapolis Museum of Art. Indianapolis. 2005. 0936260777.
11. Web site: Untitled, Donald Judd (American, 1928-1994) . Collection IMA . Indianapolis Museum of Art . 22 February 2020.
12. Web site: Untitled (Progression). Van Abbe Museum.
13. Web site: Donald Judd (American, 1928 - 1994) Untitled (Progression) 1970 . The Nelson Atkins Museum of Art . 22 February 2020.
14. Web site: 'Untitled', Donald Judd, 1973. Tate.
15. Web site: Guggenheim. www.guggenheim-venice.it.
16. Web site: Donald Judd : Untitled.
17. Web site: Untitled. www.gallery.ca.