Birney Imes (born 1951) is an American photographer. His photographs of the American South, particularly Mississippi, are his most well-known. His work can be seen in many museums throughout the United States.
Table of Contents
- 1 Biography
- 1.1 Early life
- 1.2 Career
- 1.3 Personal life
- 1.4 Juke Joint (Author and Artist Series)
- 1.5 Juke Joint (Author and Artist) by Birney Imes (15-Oct-2012) Hardcover
- 1.6 Whispering Pines by Birney Imes (1994-01-30)
- 1.7 Spring According to Humphrey
- 1.8 I'm Not Worried
- 1.9 I Think I'm Having a Baby
- 1.10 Partial to Home (Photographers at Work)
- 1.11 Purina Pro Plan High Calorie, High Protein Dry Dog Food, SPORT 30/20 Chicken & Rice Formula - 37.5 lb. Bag (Packaging May Vary)
- 1.12 Whispering Pines
- 1.13 Disney Minnie Mouse Flower Hat T-Shirt
Biography
Early life
Birney Imes III was born in 1951 in Columbus, Mississippi. His father, Vinton Birney Imes, Jr., owned the town newspaper, The Commercial Dispatch. His mother is Nancy McClanahan Imes. He attended desegregated public schools in Columbus and graduated from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History in 1973.
Career
Imes began photographing after graduation from college and is largely self-taught. In the mid-70s, he worked as a photographer for his family’s newspaper in his hometown of Columbus. Later, he opened his own studio above the Princess Theater in Columbus. Along with his personal work, Imes shot commercial work for local clients and took assignments for magazines like Rolling Stone, The Village Voice and Texas Monthly. Drawing inspiration from the photographs of other Southern artists like Eudora Welty and William Eggleston, his work concentrates on the American South, especially blacks in the Mississippi Delta.
The Museum of Modern Art in New York City, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Chicago, and the Bibliotheque national de France in Paris have Imes’ photographs. There are also numerous private and museum collections throughout the United States. His work has been exhibited widely in solo and group shows, including The Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City, the Center for Creative Photography at the University of Arizona, and the Ogden Museum of Southern Art in New Orleans, Louisiana.
In 1991 University Press of Mississippi published “Juke Joint,” the first of Imes’ three books. University Press followed “Juke Joint” with the 1994 publication of “Whispering Pines.” That same year Smithsonian Press published a collection of his black and white work, “Partial to Home. “
Personal life
He lives in Columbus, Mississippi with his wife Beth. They have three children: Peter, John and Tanner.
Last update 2021-08-06