Judd Black Aquatint

Many consider Donald Judd one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. Three decades after death, his ideas still hold a strong influence in the fields of architecture, interior design, criticism and art.

Judd was the voice of minimalism, rejecting through his art expressions of metaphysical and metaphorical symbolism. He sought to convey the literal, physical characteristics of each project he worked on. Judd's fascination with hard-edged imagery — especially squares and boxes — is prevalent through many of his sculptures, prints and paintings, and perfectly expresses his pragmatic artistic vision. 

Even though he was a minimalist in practice, Judd appreciated various forms and styles of art, with a special fondness for Abstract Expressionism. He spent many years writing as an art critic and spoke extensively on behalf of artist culture. 

Born in Excelsior Springs, Missouri, Judd joined the U.S. Army in 1946 and served in Korea until 1947. After returning home, he attended Columbia University, where he studied art history and philosophy while concurrently painting at the Art Stu­dents League.

Judd continued to paint until the early 1960s, when he abandoned the practice entirely in favor of sculpture. He found painting to be too illusionary and preferred the tactility of working in three dimensions.

As a strong proponent for art permanency, Judd purchased and refurbished many properties in Manhattan from the 1970s to the 1990s — primarily for the purpose of providing space to permanently hold and display his work and that of his colleagues. He obtained buildings throughout the downtown Cast Iron District. Other artists with the means to do so followed suit and helped develop the area, which is now known as SoHo — world-famous for cultivating artistic culture. Judd headed other political actions aimed at fostering artistic community and maintaining a healthy environment throughout New York City, especially in Manhattan. 

In 1981, Judd moved with his wife, Julie Finch, to Marfa, Texas, where they established the Chinati Foundation. The 340-acre foundation site holds many of his own permanent installations and those of a number of his contemporaries, including American artists Dan Flavin, Carl Andre and John Wesley, as well as Russian artist Ilya Kabakov and many others.

Judd died from lymphoma in 1994, but a magnificent body of his work remains for all to relish for generations to come.

On 1stDibs, find a selection of Donald Judd abstract prints, interior prints and sculptures.

Used to refer to a time rather than an aesthetic, Contemporary art generally describes pieces created after 1970 or being made by living artists anywhere in the world. This immediacy means it encompasses art responding to the present moment through diverse subjects, media and themes. Contemporary painting, sculpture, photography, performance, digital art, video and more frequently includes work that is attempting to reshape current ideas about what art can be, from Felix Gonzalez-Torres’s use of candy to memorialize a lover he lost to AIDS-related complications to Jenny Holzer’s ongoing “Truisms,” a Conceptual series that sees provocative messages printed on billboards, T-shirts, benches and other public places that exist outside of formal exhibitions and the conventional “white cube” of galleries.

Contemporary art has been pushing the boundaries of creative expression for years. Its disruption of the traditional concepts of art are often aiming to engage viewers in complex questions about identity, society and culture. In the latter part of the 20th century, contemporary movements included Land art, in which artists like Robert Smithson and Michael Heizer create large-scale, site-specific sculptures, installations and other works in soil and bodies of water; Sound art, with artists such as Christian Marclay and Susan Philipsz centering art on sonic experiences; and New Media art, in which mass media and digital culture inform the work of artists such as Nam June Paik and Rafaël Rozendaal.

The first decades of the 21st century have seen the growth of Contemporary African art, the revival of figurative painting, the emergence of street art and the rise of NFTs, unique digital artworks that are powered by blockchain technology.

Major Contemporary artists practicing now include Ai Weiwei, Cecily Brown, David Hockney, Yayoi Kusama, Jeff Koons, Takashi Murakami and Kara Walker.

Find a collection of Contemporary prints, photography, paintings, sculptures and other art on 1stDibs.

Explore a vast range of abstract prints on 1stDibs to find a piece to enhance your existing collection or transform a space.

Unlike figurative paintings and other figurative art, which focuses on realism and representational perspectives, abstract art concentrates on visual interpretation. An artist may use a single color or simple geometric forms to create a world of depth. Printmaking has a rich history of abstraction. Through materials like stone, metal, wood and wax, an image can be transferred from one surface to another.

During the 19th century, iconic artists, including Edvard Munch, Paul Cézanne, Georgiana Houghton and others, began exploring works based on shapes and colors. This was a departure from the academic conventions of European painting and would influence the rise of 20th-century abstraction and its pioneers, like Pablo Picasso and Piet Mondrian.

Some leaders of European abstraction, including Franz Kline, were influenced by the gestural shapes of East Asian calligraphy. Calligraphy interprets poetry, songs, symbols or other means of storytelling into art, from works on paper in Japan to elements of Islamic architecture.

Bold, daring and expressive, abstract art is constantly evolving and dazzling viewers. And entire genres have blossomed from it, such as Color Field painting and Minimalism.

The collection of abstract art prints on 1stDibs includes etchings, lithographs, screen-prints and other works, and you can find prints by artists such as Joan Miró, Alexander Calder and more.