James Turrell (b. 1943, Los Angeles) is a pioneering American artist known for his exploration of light, perception and space. Educated in experimental psychology at Pomona College (BA, 1965) and art at Claremont Graduate School (MA, 1973), Turrell abandoned traditional artistic media early in his career to focus on perceptual art. His work is rooted in using light as a medium to transform the viewer's experience of space, emphasizing sensory and spatial awareness.
Turrell’s career began with his first Projection Piece, Afrum (Proto) (1966), a three-dimensional illusion created with light projected into a room’s corner. He expanded his practice through series such as Skyspaces (1974 - ), Ganzfelds (1976 - ) and his monumental Roden Crater Project (1977 - ), a transformed extinct volcano in Arizona designed as a celestial observatory. This project embodies Turrell's ambition to merge the celestial and terrestrial, immersing viewers in the interplay of light, sky and time.
A key figure in the Light and Space movement, Turrell collaborated with artists like Robert Irwin and participated in the Los Angeles County Museum’s Art and Technology program, investigating perceptual phenomena like the Ganzfeld effect. His works often dissolve boundaries between interior and exterior space, inviting viewers to question their perception of reality. Notable installations include permanent works at institutions such as MoMA PS1, the Henry Art Gallery and the de Young Museum.
Turrell has exhibited internationally, with retrospectives at the Whitney Museum of American Art, Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles and Institut Valencià d’Art Modern. Awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1974, he has also received honors like the Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres (1991). Based in Flagstaff, Arizona, Turrell continues to redefine the relationship between light, space and perception in contemporary art.