The infamous Pirelli Calendar has traditionally featured portraits of nude or semi-nude supermodels in sexual hyperrealism. Since 1964 Pirelli have commissioned photographs from influential photographers and cinematographers, such as Robert Freeman, Sarah Moon, Harry Peccinotti, Herb Ritts and now for 2016 the iconic Annie Leibovitz.
Annie Leibovitz is known for her candid and highly popular portraits of celebrities. She is responsible for some of the top selling magazine covers of all time. She shot covers such as the one of John Lennon and Yoko Ono for Rolling Stone, taken on the day of Lennon’s death and the cover of a pregnant Demi Moore for Vanity Fair.
This year tyre manufacturer Pirelli commissioned Leibovitz to profile distinguished women, marking a significant cultural shift in how women are portrayed as compared with the last 52 years of the publication.
Credit: Courtesy of Annie Leibovitz Studio
The 2016 Pirelli Women
Yao Chen
Chinese actress, Forbes 83rd most powerful woman in the world, social media personality and UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador.
Serena Williams
American professional tennis player, ranked No. 1 in women’s singles tennis.
Patti Smith
American singer-songwriter, poet and visual artist.
Amy Schumer
American stand-up comedian, writer, actress, and producer.
Yoko Ono
Japanese multimedia artist, singer and peace activist.
Tavi Gevinson
American writer, magazine editor, actress, and singer. Gained notoriety for her fashion blog Style Rookie at the age of 12.
Natalia Vodianova
Russian model, philanthropist and film actress. Ranked 3rd on the Forbes top-earning models list.
Mellody Hobson
President of Ariel Investments and Chairperson of the Board of Directors of Dreamworks Animation.
Kathleen Kennedy
American film producer, founder of Amblin Entertainment with Steven Spielberg and president of Lucasfilm and the brand manager of the Star Wars franchise.
Ava DuVernay
Director, screenwriter, film marketer, and film distributor.
Agnes Gund
Philanthropist, art patron and collector, and advocate for arts education.
Shirin Neshat
Iranian visual artist, filmmaker and photographer.
