An adjuster called on contents claims experts to consult on the appraisal, conservation, and diminution of value of a Donald Judd statue that fell from its wall mount and was dented when it struck the floor. Judd statues are geometric in shape, many resembling boxes of various sizes and proportions. The statue may be a singular form or multiple forms installed as a group. The statues were often constructed of either stainless steel or aluminum stock, and unpainted.

Judd's artistry was in the design of his statues. Much like an architect designing a building, Judd designed his statues, but they were not made by his hand. They were crafted to his specifications by others, built to meticulous specifications in industrial fabrication shops.

Donald Judd statues routinely bring north of a million dollars in today's market. What effect would this dent have on the statue's value?

Case Background

After an initial inspection, the contents specialists concluded the nature of the dent could be greatly improved by a highly skilled conservator; however, we also determined that it would be unlikely for all evidence of the dent to be reversed. To the contrary, given the importance the art market places on the meticulous construction and attention to detail which is the hallmark of Judd's statues, we fully anticipated some diminution of value, which could only be fully evaluated post conservation. To be of assistance to the owner, contents experts identified the conservator the Judd Foundation has the most faith in to make such repairs.

The owner ignored these recommendations and chose to work with a different conservator. Upon notification that the conservation work was completed, the contents team scheduled a re-inspection. As the statue was viewed hanging on the wall, initial impressions were excellent. Closely examining the area of the dent, experts found absolutely no remaining evidence of the dent, as well as no evidence of the metal work by the conservator. The contents team was stunned by what appeared to be a prefect restoration of the artwork.

Turning their attention away from the apparent success of the dent repair, contents specialists removed the statue from the wall and examined the statue in its entirety. The outward appearance and dimensions was spot on, however while examining the substructure, the contents team began to realize something was wrong. The team had created an exhaustive image study of the statue during its initial inspection, not only the publicly viewed outward facing surfaces, but also the never viewed internal substructure of the statue. While performing the re-inspection of the substructure of the statue, very tiny but discernible inconsistencies with the original images began to emerge; the shape, number and exact placement of spot welds, tiny variations in the end cuts of the stainless steel, the location of a drill hole, etc. were not exactly as originally constructed.

What had not been disclosed, but what the inspection revealed was that the contents team was not examining an incredibly successful conservation of the authentic Judd. They were in fact inspecting nothing more than a well-executed replica of the original statue, being represented as the authentic Judd. If it had not been for the contents teams' painstaking attention to detail, noticing the fabricator's failure to replicate original construction details, the true nature of this statue still might only be known to those perpetuating the charade.

The Result

Some might say that Judd never personally fabricated the statue in the first place, and if this new construction was faithful to his original design, what is the harm? There would be no harm if Donald Judd were alive, had been consulted and approved the plan to replace the damaged statue in advance, oversaw the construction of the replacement statue, the destruction of the damaged statue being replaced, as well as inspecting and endorsing the final product as “his art.” All of which would be documented in the provenance of the statue. Unfortunately, none of that is what happened here.

Does this statue have a million-dollar-plus value as a Judd? Absolutely not! Although, I shudder to think what it could have sold for if its true origins had not been exposed. If the owner represents the statue truthfully, and it is sold as a well-executed replica of an authentic Judd, it has some decorative value, but only a tiny fraction of an authentic Judd. If the owner attempts to sell this object as authentic, this now revealed fake has a value of zero dollars.

Special Reports /

Contents Claims Solved: The Case of the Judd Statue

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