Thursday, March 25
6:00pm EDT

David Breslin, the DeMartini Family Curator and Director of Curatorial Initiatives at the Whitney Museum of American Art, and Caitlin Murray, Director of Archives and Programs, discuss aspects of Donald Judd’s writing practice as it developed in the 1980s, with a focus on a close reading of two-part essay “A Long Discussion Not About Master-Pieces but Why There Are So Few of Them” (1983, 1984). Additionally, Murray and Breslin consider Judd’s participation in the 1985 Whitney Biennial.

David Breslin is the DeMartini Family Curator and Director of Curatorial Initiatives at the Whitney Museum of American Art. Prior to joining the Whitney, Breslin was the John R. Eckel, Jr. Foundation Chief Curator at the Menil Drawing Institute in Houston, Texas. Previously, he was associate director, Research and Academic Program, and associate curator of contemporary projects at the Clark Art Institute. At the Whitney, Breslin has curated or co-curated Spilling Over: Painting Color in the 1960s, Where We Are: Selections from the Whitney’s Collection, 1900-1960; An Incomplete History of Protest: Selections from the Whitney’s Collection, 1940-2017; and David Wojnarowicz: History Keeps Me Awake at Night. Breslin will curate the 2022 Whitney Biennial with Adrienne Edwards, the museum’s curator of performance.

This talk is part of an ongoing series of conversations that examine Donald Judd’s writings. To support greater access to his writings, Judd Foundation has released a selection of his essays by decade. Conversations with writers, artists, and art historians will explore the context of his committed writing practice, while focusing on close readings of specific essays.