Donald Judd’s Untitled (4 Units; 89-49 Ballantine), 1989 is not only a characteristically pristine example of Judd’s carefully ordered forms but also represents a critical piece of visual evidence, faithfully recording Judd’s relationship with carpenter and artist Peter Ballantine, whose name is referenced in the title of the work. Peter Ballantine, residing on Greene Street just minutes away from Judd’s studio, commented on their proximity, reflecting “I used to say my place is so close to Judd, you could walk there in the rain without an umbrella.” Ballantine and Judd met in 1968 at the Whitney Museum’s Independent Studies Program, where Ballantine was studying and where Judd was giving a seminar. One year later Ballantine began doing carpentry for Judd and would eventually, over the course of 25 years, fabricate about 250 pieces for him. In 1970 Judd began working with Douglas-fir plywood—fellow Judd fabricator Jeff Jamieson would describe these high standards of excellency when he commented, “The bar was set very high for fabrication; they made perfect things. Ballantine made absolutely perfect boxes out of the marine-grade Douglas-fir.”

Untitled (4 Units; 89-49 Ballantine), 1989 possesses the warm and tawny hue of Douglas-fir wood, emitting a luscious glow, almost akin to Judd’s brushed copper works. The four boxes stretch out across a white wall, each unique, created with exhaustive detail and thoughtful proportion. Begging to be touched, the texture of soft and supple wood also holds darkened grains which create a swirling pattern of natural movement, emphasizing nature’s ability to create patterns at random of exquisite intricacy. Each of the four open cubes has been dissected by a triangular form, of a varying angle. The volume within each cube has been altered in a singular and formulaic way; like the pattern of the wood grain, logic can be found in a series of four that could not be determined by examining one box alone.

Though Judd did study the history of art, Ballantine believes that Judd’s study of philosophy and British empiricism at Columbia held greater significance for his artistic inspiration. Of the present lot, one unit seems empty while another may include an element dividing its interior by 1:2 or 1:4. Although the 4 units exist as a whole, each part differentiates itself from the grouping – acting at once alone and unified as part of the group. As Judd explains, “The thing as a whole, its quality as a whole, is what is interesting." (Donald Judd in Donald Judd. White and Grey. Complete Writings, New York, 1975, p. 116)