The 2016 Pirelli Calendar was presented today to the press, guests and collectors from all over the world in London, at the Roundhouse, a former industrial building which became one of the British capital's rock temples in the XNUMXs.
The 2016 edition of the Pirelli Calendar, the fortieth since its inception, is the work of one of the most famous American photographers and portraitists, Annie Leibovitz, who took the shots last July in a New York studio. Annie Leibovitz had already shot the Pirelli Calendar in 2000, immortalizing the dancers of choreographer Mark Morris' corps de ballet. The 2000 photos were the first series of nudes of her career.
The 2016 edition of the Pirelli Calendar features thirteen women who have achieved important milestones in their professional, social, cultural, sporting and artistic lives: actress Yao Chen, first Chinese ambassador of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR ); Russian supermodel Natalia Vodianova, founder of the philanthropic organization Naked Heart Russia; producer Kathleen Kennedy, president of Lucasfilm and among the most relevant figures in Hollywood; art collector and patron Agnes Gund (pictured with niece Sadie Rain Hope-Gund), president emeritus of MoMA; tennis player Serena Williams, number one in the world; columnist, critic and writer Fran Lebowitz; the president of Ariel Investments Mellody Hobson, engaged in philanthropic projects in Chicago; director Ava DuVernay, best known for directing the 2015 Academy Award-nominated Selma, among others; blogger Tavi Gevinson, founder of the Style Rookiee blog of the online magazine Rookie; Iranian visual artist Shirin Neshat; artist, musician and performer Yoko Ono; the singer Patti Smith, one of the greatest protagonists of rock music; actress and comedian Amy Schumer.
Women of different ages, backgrounds and professional backgrounds. The shots are devoid of nudity, as already happened in the first Calendars of the 60s or, more recently, with the Calendar of Peter Lindbergh of 2002, of Patrick Demarchelier of 2008 and of Steve McCurry of 2013.
“The 2000 Calendar was an exercise in nude photography. It was a simple concept,” explains Annie Leibovitz. “In 2016 we did something completely different, yet simple at the same time. It's the classic set of black and white portraits shot in the studio”.
“When Pirelli contacted me, they told me they wanted to take a different path than in the past. They suggested the idea of photographing women who stood out in some way. We hit it off and the next goal was to be very direct. I wanted the photographs to show the women exactly as they are, without artifice."
“I'm a big fan of comedians. Amy Schumer's portrait added some humor. It's like she didn't get the note telling her they could undress."
With the launch of the 2016 edition, the new website dedicated (www.pirellicalendar.com) to the Pirelli Calendar is also enriched with new content, which brings together films, photographs and interviews that tell its story. On the occasion of the launch, the 2016 Pirelli Calendar is presented through a video and some shots by Annie Leibovitz, which therefore add to the numerous archival materials, some unpublished, which - grouped by decade - offer an insight into the evolution of more than half a century of history, from 1963 to the present day. The site is made up of 3 sections: The Cal 2016, Icons and Time Machine. In addition to the "The Cal 2016" area dedicated to the latest edition, the "Time Machine" section collects some of the images from past editions and the summaries of the "backstage" videos grouped by decade: a real virtual journey through the evolution of aesthetics and customs not only through the eyes of the world's most successful photographers, but also through comments that help frame the various periods from a historical-political point of view. The 60s, 70s, 80s can already be browsed online and even the most recent ones can be retraced, while the 90s and 2000s will be published shortly.
The digitization work of some materials and historical reconstruction will be gradually completed with the artistic consultancy of Amedeo M. Turello, photographer and collector who in the past, together with Walter Guadagnini, had curated the exhibition "Forma e Desiderio - The Cal, Pirelli Collection" , promoted by the Municipality of Milan and organized by GAmm Giunti and Palazzo Reale, the site that hosted the exhibition.
Finally, in the Icons area, you can meet the protagonists of art, culture, entertainment, fashion, sport and music. Among these Roberto Bolle, Candice Huffine, Tommy Hilfiger, Marc Newson, while others will follow shortly.
