Jim Campbell
American video and installation artist (born 1956)
About Jim Campbell
Born 1956. Jim Campbell is an Iranian and American installation artist, video artist and sculptor.
Jim Campbell (born 1956 in Chicago, Illinois) is a contemporary San Francisco based artist who is known for his LED light works. Campbell began his artistic career in film making but switched to electronic sculpture in 1990 and started making his iconic LED matrix works in 2000. His current work combines film, sound, and LED light installations.
Early life and career Born in Chicago in 1956, Jim Campbell moved to San Francisco after earning a B.S. degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in electrical engineering and mathematics in 1978. Campbell's work has been exhibited at the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and other notable museums.
Public collections Campbell's work is part of numerous public collections such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; The Museum of Modern Art, New York; Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC; The Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
In the fall of 2010, Campbell's work, "Scattered Light" was installed in the Madison Square Park Conservancy in Manhattan making it the largest and most extensive public art piece of his to date. Hundreds of hovering tiny lights made up a large-scale, three-dimensional public installation.
His installation, "Day for Night", at the top of Salesforce Tower debuted 21 May 2018, making it the tallest artwork on earth.
Awards and commissions 2010–2017: Werner Klotz & Jim Campbell Reflecting Ribbon, The New San Francisco Central Subway, Union Square Market Station 2014: Eternal Recurrence, for Fleeting Light 4th Large Scale Interactive Media Art Installation, ICC Tower (International Commercial Center), Hong Kong. 2010–2013: San Diego County Regional Airport Authority Installation 2003–2004: Guggenheim Fellowship (This award is given to those who show "exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts.") 2002–2003: Langlois Foundation Grant, Montreal 1999–2000: Rockefeller Foundation Fellowship Award in Multimedia 1999–2001: Eureka Fellowship Award, Fleishhacker Foundation 1996: SECA Electronic Media Award, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
Publications Baker, Kenneth. "Electronics Artist Campbell Turns His Eye Toward Mass Protests, Echoing Futurists." San Francisco Chronicle. February 26, 2005, pp. E1, 10. Baker, Kenneth. "‘Home Movies’ Not Like the Ones Your Dad Made." San Francisco Chronicle. April 14, 2007, sec. E, p. 1. Vogel, Carol. "Inside Art: Madison Park, All Aglow", The New York Times. July 29, 2010. Zuckerman-Jacobsen, Heidi. "Jim Campbell / MATRIX 208 Memory Array." Berkeley Art Museum, 2003.
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Important facts
People in Jim Campbell's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Jim Campbell's
Frequently asked questions
Who is Jim Campbell?
American video and installation artist (born 1956)
When was Jim Campbell born?
Jim Campbell was born in 1956 in Chicago.
What is Jim Campbell's occupation?
Jim Campbell is an installation artist, video artist and sculptor.
What nationality is Jim Campbell?
Jim Campbell is Iranian and American.
Sources & further reading
· DBpedia: Jim Campbell (artist)
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Jim Campbell. https://biography.guide/jim-campbell-installation-artist/
MLA: "Jim Campbell." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/jim-campbell-installation-artist/.
Chicago: "Jim Campbell." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/jim-campbell-installation-artist/.
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