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Buhmann on Art: Richard Long at Judd Foundation

Richard Long, installation view at Judd Foundation. Photo by Sol Hashemi © Judd Foundation; Art © 2016 Richard Long. All Rights Reserved, DACS, London / ARS, NY.
Richard Long, installation view at Judd Foundation. Photo by Sol Hashemi © Judd Foundation; Art © 2016 Richard Long. All Rights Reserved, DACS, London / ARS, NY.

BY STEPHANIE BUHMANN | Born in 1945 in Bristol, England, Richard Long is best known for radical works that transform natural materials and landscapes into sculptures. One of his great admirers was Donald Judd. In fact, throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Judd wrote extensively on the British sculptor, once proclaiming him to be “the best artist in Europe.”

In his texts, Judd described Long’s process, but also stressed how challenging it was for Long to show his work in New York. Hence, it seems fitting that, more than 20 years after Judd’s passing, Long has been invited to create a new, temporary installation in Judd’s restored former home and studio in Soho. In fact, two large-scale works, created through the use of a terracotta slip, will extend the entire length the foundation’s building (nearly 60 feet).

This installation will directly relate to Long’s well-known work “Sea Lava Circles,” which he made from volcanic rock that he’d collected in Iceland. It was Judd who had acquired this work in 1988 and who permanently installed it at The Chinati Foundation in Marfa, Texas. In Soho, Judd had always envisioned the ground floor of his space to be used for exhibition purposes. Though it has featured his works, as well as examples by many others, it has never served as a venue for Long’s work before. Curated by Judd’s son, Flavin Judd, this installation changes this, and subsequently marks one chapter in a series of projects that aim to highlight and contextualize the interrelated aspects of Judd’s oeuvre.

Through Dec. 17, at Judd Foundation (101 Spring St., btw. Broadway & Mercer St.). The ground floor that houses the installation is free and open to the public Thurs., Fri. & Sat., 1–5:30pm. Call 212-219-2747 or visit juddfoundation.org.

Richard Long’s “Friendships” (2016, terracotta, 184.5 x 268 in.). Photo by Sol Hashemi © Judd Foundation; Art © 2016 Richard Long. All Rights Reserved, DACS, London / ARS, NY.
Richard Long’s “Friendships” (2016, terracotta, 184.5 x 268 in.). Photo by Sol Hashemi © Judd Foundation; Art © 2016 Richard Long. All Rights Reserved, DACS, London / ARS, NY.