Marfa

Donald Judd left New York in the 1970s for the space and the light, bought the buildings of Fort D. A. Russell outside Marfa, and installed work permanently rather than as exhibitions - his hundred milled aluminium boxes stand in two converted artillery sheds, each the same outer dimensions and each internally different, with the light moving through them all day. Dan Flavin's fluorescent installation occupies six former barracks. The Chinati Foundation runs that; the Judd Foundation shows his houses and studios in town. Prada Marfa, a sealed fake shop by Elmgreen and Dragset, stands alone by the highway thirty-seven kilometres north-west. The Marfa lights, unexplained distant glows, are watched from a viewing area east of town.

What you actually see

• A hundred milled aluminium boxes - same outside, each different inside.
• Flavin's fluorescent works - across six former barracks.
• Judd's houses and studios - shown by the Judd Foundation in town.
• Prada Marfa - a sealed fake shop alone by the highway.

When to go

October to May; summer is very hot. A full day.

Honest expectations

Chinati and Judd Foundation tours must be booked ahead and are not cheap. The town is tiny with limited food and lodging that fills fast. It is a long drive from anywhere. The Marfa lights are frequently a disappointment.

Nearby

Big Bend National Park is south-east; Fort Davis is north.