Chinati Foundation, Fort Russell exhibition space. (Marfa, Texas)

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1 Cavalry Row
Marfa, TX 79843
(432) 729-4362
www.chinati.org/

The Chinati Foundation/La Fundación Chinati

In the 1970's Donald Clarence Judd acquired a 45,000-acre ranch overlooking the Rio Grande in west texas. He purchased a number of buildings in and around Marfa, TX. He converted barracks, hangars, gymnasiums, and the abandoned army base, Fort D. A. Russell into massive galleries for contemporary art. For some time Judd's work was partially supported by the New York-based Dia Foundation, but in 1985 he threatened to sue the foundation, which he believed had failed to follow through on a promise to fund permanent installations of his and other contemporary artists' work in Marfa. Eventually he and Dia worked out an agreement to establish the Chinati Foundation, which took possession of the artworks and the former army post.

The Chinati Foundation is located on 340 acres of land on the site of former Fort D.A. Russell in Marfa, Texas. Construction and installation at the site began in 1979 with initial assistance from the Dia Art Foundation in New York. The Chinati Foundation opened to the public in 1986 as an independent, non–profit, publicly funded institution. Chinati was originally conceived to exhibit the work of Donald Judd, John Chamberlain and Dan Flavin. The collection has since been expanded to include work by a limited number of other artists. Today the collection on permanent view consists of 15 outdoor concrete works by Donald Judd, 100 aluminum works by Judd housed in two converted artillery sheds, 25 sculptures by John Chamberlain, and an installation by Dan Flavin occupying six former army barracks. Also on view are pieces by Carl Andre, Ingólfur Arnarsson, Roni Horn, Ilya Kabakov, Richard Long, Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, David Rabinowitch, and John Wesley. Each artist’s work is installed in a separate building on the museum’s grounds. Temporary exhibitions feature modern and contemporary art of diverse media.

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