London – The new Pirelli Calendar was presented today in London at the Roundhouse, a former industrial building that became one of the Temples of Rock of the British capital. The 2016 edition of the calendar, the 43rd edition since its inception, is the fruit of one of the most famous American photographers and ritrattiste: Annie Leibovitz, who worked on the project in July in New York. This isn’t Annie Leibovitz’s first Pirelli calendar, as she had already collaborated with the Italian company in 2000, immortalizing the Ballet dancers and choreographer Mark Morris in a series of nude photos that were the first in her career. The 2016 edition of the Pirelli Calendar features no nudes (as was the case in the first calendars from the 1960s, or more recently the 2002 Calendar by Peter Lindbergh, the 2008 by Patrick Demarchelier and the 2013 edition by Steve McCurry) but instead frames 13 women who have reached important milestones in professional, social, cultural, sports and artistic fields: actress Yao Chen, the first Chinese Goodwill Ambassador to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR); the Russian supermodel Natalia Vodianova, the founder of the philanthropic organization Naked Heart Russia; producer Kathleen Kennedy, president of Lucasfilm and among the most important figures in Hollywood; the art collector and patron Agnes Gund (pictured with her niece Sadie Rain Hope-Gund), President Emeritus of MoMA; tennis player Serena Williams; the columnist, critic and writer Fran Lebowitz; the president of Ariel Investments Mellody Hobson, engaged in philanthropic projects in Chicago; director Ava DuVernay, known for having directed, among others, the Oscar-nominated 2015 Selma – The Road to Freedom; blogger Tavi Gevinson, founder of the blog Style Rookie and of the online magazine Rookie; Iranian artist Shirin Neshat of visual art; artist, musician and performer Yoko Ono; Patti Smith; and actress and comedian Amy Schumer. (9Colonne)
