2017. Pirelli Calendar by Peter Lindbergh and More…
Erarta Museum of Contemporary Art proudly presented an exhibition of images created by Peter Lindbergh, Helmut Newton, Annie Leibovitz, and other celebrated masters of fashion photography for the legendary Pirelli Calendar
-
Revolutionary black and white portraits by Peter Lindbergh, one of the greatest fashion photographers of our time whose vision was praised by Vogue, The New Yorker, Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, Harper’s Bazaar, and Interview
-
Best images from The Cal™ spanning the period from 1988 to 2016 and tracing the evolution of female representation in art photography
-
A calendar that has been documenting contemporary culture and setting trends for half a century
It is the second time already that the Erarta Museum of Contemporary Art presents an exhibition dedicated to the legendary Pirelli Calendar. First published in 1964, The Cal™ quickly rose to a cult status as a cultural phenomenon. Today a collaboration offer from Pirelli is a sign of official recognition for a photographer and a welcome opportunity for any superstar.
The exhibition at Erarta showcases the photographs created by Peter Lindbergh for the 44th edition of the legendary calendar, as well as a selection of The Cal™ highlights from 1988 through 2016 made by such celebrated masters as Helmut Newton, Richard Avedon, Annie Leibovitz, Herb Ritts, Patrick Demarchelier, Karl Lagerfeld, Bruce Weber, Nick Knight, and other celebrated masters of fashion photography. Displayed side by side, these pictures show how art photography – and the representation of women in it – evolved over the past three decades.
Peter Lindberg was the only photographer to be commissioned by Pirelli on three separate occasions. His first photo shoot for the Calendar took place in 1996 in the El Mirage desert in California; six years later, he worked on the new issue in the Paramount Pictures studios in Los Angeles. In addition, in 2014 Peter joined Patrick Demarchelier in preparing the special anniversary project celebrating 50 years of The Cal™.
For his series of black and white portraits created for the 2017 Pirelli Calendar Lindbergh came up with the title Emotional, emphasising his aim not to shoot perfect nude bodies, but to capture instead the feelings and emotions laying bare the souls of the models.
Fourteen world famous actresses were recruited to help Lindbergh in conveying his ideal of natural beauty and femininity: Charlotte Rampling, Nicole Kidman, Helen Mirren, Uma Thurman, Penélope Cruz, Kate Winslet, Julianne Moore, Jessica Chastain, Rooney Mara, Lupita Nyong’o, Léa Seydoux, Alicia Vikander, Robin Wright, and Zhang Ziyi. The stellar line-up also featured Anastasia Ignatova, a Political Theory lecturer at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations.
‘In a time when the women are in the media and in general as a reflection of perfection and beauty,’ commented the artist, ‘it was important for me to remember that there is still another, more real and authentic kind of beauty that is not manipulated by advertising or other . . . A beauty, the individuality and the courage to be yourself as well as to express sensibility.’
