Jimmie Durham is an American sculptor, essayist and poet, living and working in Europe since 1994. He was active in the United States in the civil rights movements of African Americans and Native Americans in the 1960s and 1970s, serving on the central council of the American Indian Movement. He returned to working at art while living in New York City. His work has been extensively exhibited. Durham also received the Günther-Peill-Preis, the Foundation for Contemporary Arts Robert Rauschenberg Award, and the 58th Venice Biennale's Golden Lion for lifetime achievement.
He has long claimed to be Cherokee but that claim has been denied by tribal representatives: "Durham is neither enrolled nor eligible for citizenship in any of the three federally-recognized and historical Cherokee Tribes: the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians of Oklahoma, and the Cherokee Nation." He has "no known ties to any Cherokee community".