Donald Judd vs. Peter Zumthor. The unbuilt pavilion of the Kunsthaus Bregenz

Abstract

The incursions into architecture by the American artist Donald Judd were a constant feature of his career. His analysis of spatial elements with his specific objects and his great interest in constructive practice played an important role in his work. This research introduces one of those architectural projects in which Judd was directly involved, the unbuilt pavilion for the Kunsthaus Bregenz. A little-known project whose definition was conditioned by the guidelines of the architect Peter Zumthor, who was responsible for the complete configuration of the institution. Based on this approach, the study starts with the direct consultation of the original material conserved in the archives of the Judd Foundation in Marfa, Texas, and delves into the creative transfers between art and architecture, in the analysis of a singular proposal which never came to fruition. The excessive autonomy of Judd’s design did not manage to adapt to the criteria set by Zumthor who would end up taking on the construction of the pavilion. Despite the frustrated attempt at collaboration, the course of the commission reveals the interests of two figures like Judd and Zumthor working on the same project, while at the same time it uncovers the architectural development of the Kunsthaus Bregenz.