An Intimate, Exclusive Interview With JIMMY NELSON

Jimmy Nelson (Sevenoaks, Kent, 1967) started working as a photographer in 1987. Having spent 10 years at a Jesuit boarding school in the North of England, he set off on his own to traverse the length of Tibet on foot. The journey lasted a year, and upon his return, his unique visual diary, featuring revealing images of a previously inaccessible Tibet, was published to wide international acclaim.

- José Jeuland

In early 1994 he and his Dutch ex-wife produced Literary Portraits of China, a 30-month project that brought them to all the hidden corners of the newly opening People's Republic. Upon its completion, the images were exhibited in the People's Palace on Tiananmen Square, Beijing, and then followed by a worldwide tour.

From 1997 onwards, Jimmy began to successfully undertake commercial advertising assignments for many of the world's leading brands. He also started accumulating images of remote and unique cultures photographed with a traditional 50-year-old plate camera, and awards followed. International exhibitions and acclaim created the subsequent momentum and enthusiasm for the initiation of Before They Pass Away in 2010, the Jimmy Nelson Foundation, founded in 2016, and Homage to Humanity, in 2018.

This is a great pleasure featuring an intimate and exclusive interview with Jimmy Nelson, sharing his most touching stories behind his life journey.