The Pirelli Calendar, aka “The Cal” is the most well-known, wanted and waited for calendar in the world.
Impossible to get, it’s not for sale at any price. Only for those lucky few in Pirelli’s entourage and on its VIP list.
German photographer Peter Lindbergh is behind the camera of the 2017 edition and this marks his third collaboration with the Calendar par excellence. And this year the protagonists in front of his lens are the women of Hollywood, the bodies and faces of the cinema world, but revealed and portrayed au naturel, in the honor of a spontaneous and imperfect beauty.
14 actresses, of different generations, origins and attitudes have posed for black and white photos, creating a sequence of months all dedicated to the theme, “Emotional”.
Here are Helen Mirren and Charlotte Rampling; Julianne Moore, Uma Thurman, Penelope Cruz, Nicole Kidman, Kate Winslet, Robin Wright and Zhang Ziyi. And the new talents Lupita Nyong'o, Jessica Chastain, Lea Seydoux, Alicia Vikander and Rooney Mara.
Plus special guest, a name unknown to Hollywood: Anastasia Ignatova, professor of Political Theory at MGIMO - Moscow State University of International Relations.
“The idea was to create a calendar not around perfect bodies, but on sensitivity and emotion, stripping down to the very soul of the sitters, who thus become more nude than naked”, explains the Maestro of photography.
“Invented” by Pirelli in 1964 as an “outlier” marketing and publicity tool, the calendar has now reached its 44th edition (with some gaps in its publication).
It has grown year after year, collaborating with the best international photographers and the most seductive models in the world, and leaving behind automobile repair workshops to become, edition after edition, a cult object and collector’s item, a sign of the times and the history of customs.
Although synonymous with perfect nude bodies, desire and sensuality from its inception, in recent years The Cal has taken a turn-about, promoting a more authentic and different of femininity.
The 2013 edition, shot by Steve McCurry in Brazil, broke the tradition, and then last year the calendar gave prominence to commitment, fascination and self-confidence with the women by Annie Leibovitz. And now, this year, “Emotional”, with Lindbergh’s actresses wearing no make-up.
“In a time when women are represented in the media and everywhere else as ambassadors of perfection and youth, I thought it was important to remind everyone that there is a different beauty, more real and truthful and not manipulated by commercials. A beauty that speaks about individuality, courage to be yourself and your own private sensibility... My aim was to portray women in a different way and I did it by calling in actresses who’ve played an important role in my life, getting as close as possible to them to take my photos. As an artist, I feel I’m responsible for freeing women from the idea of eternal youth and perfection”, states Lindberg
At the opening: JULIANNE MOORE IS ONE OF THE 14 ACTRESSES CHOSEN BY PETER LINDBERGH FOR THE 2017 EDITION OF “THE CAL”, THE MOST FAMOUS AND CELEBRATED CALENDAR IN THE WORLD
