他出生于俄亥俄州辛辛那提市，出席胡桃山高中和辛辛那提大学。1953年，他花了夜校的在辛辛那提的艺术学院从有影响力的抽象画家和讲师，保罗Chidlaw。用餐收到了博鳌亚洲论坛从俄亥俄大学于1957年。

他首先赢得了尊重艺术世界与他的精彩。与艺术家首创克拉斯奥尔登堡和艾伦Kaprow，与音乐家一起约翰·凯奇的“精彩”是混乱的行为艺术，这是在流行的表现主义的更忧郁的情绪形成了鲜明对比纽约的艺术世界。其中第一个是30秒的微笑工人在1959年进行的

1962年用餐的作品被列入，随着李奇登斯坦，安迪·沃霍尔，罗伯特·多德，菲利普Hefferton，乔·古德，爱德华·鲁沙和韦恩·蒂埃博，在历史上重要的和突破性的通用对象的新绘画，由策划沃尔特Hopps在在诺顿西蒙博物馆。本次展会是历来认为是第一“一波普艺术在美国”展览。这些画家开始运动，一时间社会动荡，这起震惊美国和艺术世界。波普艺术运动从根本上改变性质的现代艺术。

在60年代初，他开始附着的物体，自传意义特别的工具，他的画布。作业＃1自1962年，在收藏艺术檀香山博物馆，它结合了油漆罐，油漆刷，一把螺丝刀，和一块木头是这样的一个例子波普艺术作品。这些提供商业以及成功的关键，但左用餐不满意。在1966年9月警方搜查他的作品的展览展示罗伯特·弗雷泽的画廊在英国伦敦。他的作品中有20个检和弗雷泽下收取1959年猥亵出版法，和朋友吃饭的作品被认为是不雅，但不是淫秽和弗雷泽被罚款20金币。次年佳肴搬到伦敦，继续代表弗雷泽，花未来四年发展他的艺术。

回到美国在1971年，他专注于几个系列的图纸。自1976年以来用餐已由代表佩斯画廊。上世纪80年代的雕塑恢复他的艺术在突出位置。在时间自那时以来，出现了他的艺术从人造物体自然主题的明显转变。

据詹姆斯·瑞士雷达表，联合编剧（与杰罗姆Ragni）的摇滚音乐剧的头发，那是一块用餐题为头发这给了他们的名字。

在弗吉尼亚艺术博物馆购买了6作品用餐，在1983年，他是一个陪审员“下一个Juried展”在VMFA，判断版画和素描。该juried显示在VMFA是一系列两年一次的展览涵盖了包括传播艺术，工艺品媒体，绘画和雕塑，摄影，录像艺术，以及素描，每上每隔一个年日程表的所有领域。“下一个Juried展”是最后一个系列，但是。

1984年，沃克艺术中心在明尼阿波利斯，明尼苏达州，展出了他的“吉姆用餐：五个主题”的工作。1987年看到了该书的出版吉姆用餐：图纸1973年至1987年，到了巡展一致。1989年，明尼阿波利斯艺术学院主办吉姆用餐图：1973-1987。1983年，他被选进了设计的美国国家科学院作为一个准会员，并于1994年成为一个完整的院士。
 

He was born in the city of Ohio, Cincinnati, attended Walnut Hill High School and University of Cincinnati. In 1953, he spent an evening at the Art Institute of Cincinnati from the influential abstract painter and lecturer, Paul Chidlaw. Dining received from the Boao forum for Asia in 1957 from Ohio University.
He first won the respect for the art world and his wonderful. With the first artist Claes Oldenburg and Alan Kaprow John Cage, together with the musician "wonderful" is chaotic behavior art, which is popular in the expressionism more melancholy in stark contrast to the New York art world. The first was a smile of 30 seconds in 1959
The work was included in the 1962 dinner, along with Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, Robert Dodd, Philip Hefferton, Jo Goode, Edward Rusha and Wayne Tiebo, the new painting common object and important breakthrough in history, planning by Walter Hopps in Norton Simon museum. This exhibition is always considered to be the first "pop art exhibition in the United States.". These painters began to campaign, a time of social unrest, which shocked the United States and the art world. Modern art pop art movement to fundamentally change the nature of the.
At the beginning of the 60s, he began to attach objects, an autobiographical special tool to his canvas. Job No. 1 since 1962, in the Honolulu Museum of art, which combines paint cans, paint brush, a screwdriver, and a piece of wood is such an example of pop art works. These provide business as well as the key to success, but the left is not satisfied with the meal. In September 1966 police searched his works for the exhibition of Robert Fraser's gallery in London, england. 20 of his works were seized and Fraser was charged under the obscene publication act of 1959, and a friend's dinner was considered indecent but not obscene and Fraser was fined $20. The following year, cate moved to London and continued to represent Fraser, who spent the next four years developing his art.
Back in the United States in 1971, he focused on several series of drawings. Since 1976 meal has been represented by pace gallery. The 80s sculpture of the last century restored his art in a prominent position. In the time since then, there has been a marked shift in his art from man-made objects to natural themes.
According to James Risleyda, the co writer (with the Ragni of the) of the rock musical hair, it was a piece of paper entitled hair that gave their name.
In the Virginia Museum of art purchased a 6 piece meal, in 1983, he was a juror "the next Juried show" in VMFA, judging prints and sketches. The juried VMFA is displayed in a series of biennial exhibition covers including communication arts, media arts and crafts, painting and sculpture, photography, video art, and sketch, all areas of each every one year schedule. The next Juried show is the last series, but.
In 1984, the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, exhibited his "dining on the five theme" of the work of the "Jim". 1987 saw the publication of the book Jim meal: drawings of 1973 to 1987, to tour line. 1989, the Minneapolis Institute of art hosted Jim dining chart: 1973-1987. In 1983, he was elected as a member of the National Academy of Sciences, and became a full member in 1994.