James Casebere (American, b.1953) is a well-known photographer and installation artist. Casebere was born in Lansing, MI, and he grew up outside of Detroit. He first attended Michigan State University, and in 1976, he graduated from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design with a BFA. The following year, Casebere attended the Whitney Independent Study Program in New York. He later moved to Los Angeles, and, while living there, he studied under Doug Huebler (American, 1924–1997) and John Baldessari (American, b.1931). In 1979, Casebere received an MFA from CalArts.
Casebere''''''''s early work is primarily associated with postmodern artists who emerged during the 1980s. Casebere''''''''s early bodies of work featured images of the typical American suburban home. This work was followed by sculptural installations and photographs of the American West, often in a humorous light. During the early 1990s, Casebere began to focus on the development of various cultural institutions during the enlightenment. Beginning in the late 1990s, Casebere began to produce expansive photos of flooded images. These works include Two Tunnels, Flooded Hallway, and Four Flood Arches, Nevision Underground, Monticello.
After 2011, Casebere began to look towards the Eastern Mediterranean and Spain for inspiration. The first of his new works were inspired by Andalusia during the 10th century, based on the cooperation that existed between Jewish, Islamic, and Christian cultures of the time. Casebere has also earned a reputation for developing complex models and then photographing them while in his studio. As part of his work, Casebere references film, art history, and architecture. Casebere uses simple materials and pares them down to their most essential forms to create the tabletop constructions used in his abandoned spaces. Beginning in 2002, Casebere held a solo exhibition at the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art, located in Winston Salem, NC. His works have also appeared at other institutions around the world, including the Museum of Modern Art in Oxford, England. Casebere lives and works in Brooklyn, NY. He is married to Lorna Simpson (American, b.1960), who is also an artist.