“I can think of few artists who are more deserving of this incredible honor [Venice Biennale Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement], which acknowledges Jimmie’s immense contributions to the field of contemporary art over the past 50 years...His insatiable curiosity, keen intellect, profound commitment to human rights and cosmopolitanism in all his life choices have provided the roots and the foundation from which his work, in its numerous forms, has flourished. Jimmie’s work represents what art does at its best: interrogate, complicate, implicate, remind, lament, satirize, and savor, giving us hope that intelligence today might outweigh the stupidity of yesterday.”
Anne Ellegood, Senior Curator of Hammer Museum, quoted in Sarah Cascone, "Jimmie Durham Is This Year’s Winner of the Venice Biennale Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement," ArtNet News, 4 April 2019