An arts organization partly based in Marfa has settled its lawsuit against Kim Kardashian over claims the reality TV star promoted knockoff versions of the late artist Donald Judd’s minimalist tables and chairs.
The Judd Foundation reached the settlement deal with Kardashian and Los Angeles-based design firm Clements Design last month, according to court records.
Clements was accused of copying Judd’s designs when it built furniture for Kardashian’s skincare company office. In a now-deleted 2022 YouTube video, Kardashian showed off the office and pointed out her “Donald Judd tables.” The Judd Foundation sued in early 2024, citing the video.
Full terms of the agreement were not disclosed, but the foundation and the design firm said in a joint statement that Clements had agreed to acknowledge the “rights inherent to Donald Judd’s furniture and art.”
The deal came with an apparent upside for Kardashian: she will now own the real deal.
“Clements Design’s client will now have authentic Donald Judd tables and chairs from Donald Judd Furniture LLC,” the statement said.
Both parties said they were “pleased” to have resolved the dispute. Attorneys for Kardashian did not respond to Marfa Public Radio’s request for comment.
In other Judd-related news, the two organizations that preserve the artist’s work and legacy – Judd Foundation and Chinati Foundation – announced Thursday the listing of the “Donald Judd Historic District” on the National Register of Historic Places.
The district includes 15 buildings owned by the two organizations in Marfa, all of them associated with the former Fort D.A. Russell military installation where the artist’s large-scale outdoor concrete works are housed.
The fort itself was listed on the register in 2006, and multiple other Judd-affiliated buildings in downtown Marfa were recognized in the establishment of the Central Marfa Historic District in 2022.
This reporting was made possible by generous donations from supporters like you. Please consider making a donation to Marfa Public Radio to fund the journalism you rely on.
