The Judd Foundation reached a settlement with Kim Kardashian and Clements Design earlier this month, according to court records, after the reality TV star promoted knockoff versions of the late artist’s minimalist tables and chairs.
The lawsuit centered around a now-deleted 2022 promotional video in which Kardashian tours the offices of her Skims by Kim company, therein boasting about what she called her “Donald Judd tables.” The tables in question are reminiscent of Judd’s La Mansana Table 22 and Chair 84. The video received more than 3.6 million views before it was removed. In 2024, the foundation sued her over false claims, as the dining set is not an authentic Judd.
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In a joint statement, the Judd Foundation and Clements agreed to acknowledge the “rights inherent to Donald Judd’s furniture and art.” Adding that Kardashian instead “will now have authentic Donald Judd tables and chairs from Donald Judd Furniture LLC”.
The Judd Foundation previously insisted that the video be deleted and the furniture “recycled”.
The agreement comes as a surprise twist, departing from what Megan Bannigan, a lawyer representing the foundation, previously told the New York Times: “We don’t want to be mixed up with Kim Kardashian. We respect what she does, but we don’t want to be involved with this.”
Both the Judd Foundation and Clements, however, are reportedly “pleased” with the outcome.
This is not Kardashian’s first foray with the art world, as the potential owner of a $4.9 million Jean-Michel Basquiat painting and the owner of a George Condo painting, as well as, of course, her controversial appearance at the Met Gala in an altered Marylin Monroe dress.
Just last week, the Texas Historical Commission, a group that oversees preserved sites in the state, announced that a series of buildings repurposed by Judd and overseen by two artist foundations, has been added to a national register that gives protected status to long-standing cultural sites.
