Pirelli Calendar

History

The Cal was originally created by the British art director Derek Forsyth. After an unpublished mockup in 1962, it became an annual publication from 1964. In some of the earlier calendars Pirelli tyres featured prominently, though this marketing aspect was later dropped. The first woman photographer to shoot the calendar was Sarah Moon in 1972. Publication was discontinued after the 1974 issue as an economizing cutback in response to the world recession resulting from the 1973 oil crisis. It was resurrected 10 years later and has been published regularly since then except for 2021.

For the first ten years of the calendar's existence, it included photographs of fully clothed women, but an emphasis on nudity developed during the 1980s. The 1987 calendar, photographed by Terrence Donovan, was the first to feature only black models, included a bare-bottomed 16-year-old Naomi Campbell. The models were photographed topless in Savannah-like settings and styled in tribal fashion. The calendar continued to use mainly eroticised images until the mid-2010s, although in some instances the pictures taken by the photographers were considered by the editors to be too risqué to use.

From the mid-2010s the calendar moved away from eroticism, and around this time diversity began to be addressed. The 2010 calendar, photographed by Terry Richardson, used similar imagery to that which was used in the calendar in the 1960s. In 2014 Pirelli released an unpublished calendar from 1986 shot by photographer Helmut Newton. A 50th anniversary book, Pirelli - The Calendar: 50 Years and More, was published by Taschen in 2015.

The 2016 calendar, photographed by Annie Leibovitz, aimed to celebrate women for their accomplishments rather than their physical attributes. It included Fran Lebowitz, Mellody Hobson, Serena Williams, Yoko Ono and Patti Smith to represent inspiring women of diverse ages in almost entirely clothed portraits. The 2017 calendar was photographed by Peter Lindbergh and the women in the photographs were fully dressed and wore minimal makeup. It was the first calendar in which the photographs had not been retouched. The women photographed included Helen Mirren, Nicole Kidman and Julianne Moore. For the 2018 calendar, photographer Tim Walker chose to feature only black models, including Duckie Thot, Adwoa Aboah, RuPaul, Whoopi Goldberg, and Thando Hopa.

The 2021 calendar was cancelled because of the global coronavirus pandemic but returned for 2022, featuring musicians and titled On The Road. In 2024, to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Cal, Prince Gyasi became the first black photographer to produce an edition of the calendar.

Models

Appearance in the calendar has become a mark of distinction for those photographic models who are chosen, as well as for the photographers commissioned to produce the images used. Between 1997 and 2015 casting director Jennifer Starr also influenced the look and direction of each calendar. Over the years, the models and celebrities who have appeared in it include Alessandra Ambrosio, Bianca Balti, Ana Beatriz Barros, Malgosia Bela, Elsa Benítez, Mariacarla Boscono (3), Lauren Bush, Gisele Bündchen, Naomi Campbell (5), Gracie Carvalho, Helena Christensen, Cindy Crawford, Emanuela de Paula, Waris Dirie, Yamila Díaz, Lily Donaldson, Isabeli Fontana (8), Magdalena Frackowiak, Saskia de Brauw, Sonny Freeman Drane, Gigi Hadid, Duckie Thot, Bridget Hall, Filippa Hamilton, Miranda Kerr, Karlie Kloss, Heidi Klum, Karolína Kurková (3), Noémie Lenoir, Adriana Lima (3), Daisy Lowe, Angela Lindvall, Lakshmi Menon, Kate Moss (3), Petra Nemcová, Sasha Pivovarova, Natasha Poly, Frankie Rayder, Coco Rocha, RuPaul, Anja Rubik, Joan Smalls, Lara Stone (3), Fernanda Tavares, Caroline Trentini, Christy Turlington, Guinevere Van Seenus, Edita Vilkeviciute, Natalia Vodianova (5), Alek Wek (3), Daria Werbowy and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley.

Actresses: Patricia Arquette, Nadja Auermann, Monica Bellucci, Selma Blair, Laetitia Casta (3), Jessica Chastain, Yao Chen, Maggie Cheung, Aurélie Claudel, Lily Cole, Rachael Leigh Cook, Penélope Cruz, Lou Doillon, Julia Garner, Whoopi Goldberg, Shalom Harlow, Neith Hunter, Milla Jovovich, Nicole Kidman, James King, Nastassja Kinski, Abbey Lee Kershaw, Doutzen Kroes, Jennifer Lopez, Sophia Loren, Audrey Marnay, Sienna Rose Miller, Julianne Moore, Bridget Moynahan, Brittany Murphy, Carolyn Murphy, Lupita Nyong'o, Charlotte Rampling, Eva Riccobono, Amy Schumer, Elisa Sednaoui, Léa Seydoux, Jenny Shimizu, Amy Smart, Julia Stiles, Hilary Swank, Uma Thurman, Ai Tominaga, Naomi Watts, Kate Winslet, Robin Wright, and Zhang Ziyi.

Athlete: Serena Williams.

Dancer: Misty Copeland.

Singer: Patti Smith.

Photographers

Peter Lindbergh produced three editions of the calendar (1996, 2002, 2017) and Patrick Demarchelier two (2005, 2008), and they made together the 50th anniversary calendar (2014).

Harry Peccinotti, Francis Giacobetti, Brian Duffy, Terence Donovan, Clive Arrowsmith, Richard Avedon, Herb Ritts, Bruce Weber, Annie Leibovitz made two calendars. (Their second year marked with star [*])

In the trend of the MeToo movement and Weinstein effect, the Cal 2019 by Albert Watson featured Laetitia Casta in lingerie without teasing nudity.

Filmography

• The Pirelli Calendar Saga (2010) by Emmanuel Le Ber

Exhibitions

• 2014: The Cal – Collezione Pirelli at Palazzo Reale in Milan: photos of Richard Avedon, Peter Beard, Patrick Demarchelier, Peter Lindbergh, Steve McCurry, Steven Meisel, Herb Ritts, and Bruce Weber.
• 2016: during the New York Fashion Week Fall 2016, inside Skylight at Moynihan Station: photos by Hans Feurer, Inez and Vinoodh, Peter Lindbergh, Steve McCurry, Mert and Marcus, Herb Ritts, and Bruce Weber
• 2018: 2017 Pirelli Calendar By Peter Lindbergh And More.., Multimedia Art Museum of Moscow, the Vasnetsov brothers art museum of Kirov, Kaliningrad museum of fine arts, Novosibirsk State Art Museum, Abakan picture gallery

Books

References

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3. (4 June 2015). "You Will Soon Be Able to Purchase a Pirelli Calendar for the First Time Ever".
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5. (26 July 2018). "The Pirelli Calendar Finally Makes Women Subjects Instead of Objects".
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7. (13 July 2018). "The Pirelli Calendar – Through the times".
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9. (July 2018). "Time Machine".
10. "Pirelli Calendar makes comeback for 2022 as it goes On The Road with Iggy Pop, Rita Ora, Cher and Grimes". Car Dealer. 8 August 2021.
11. (29 November 2017). "How the Pirelli calendar went from pin-up to political".
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14. (9 December 2007). "2008 Pirelli calendar pays homage to China".
15. (2 December 2009). "Terry Richardson Shoots 2010 Pirelli Calendar".
16. Paton, Elizabeth. (20 July 2017). "What the 2018 Pirelli Calendar Says About Race".
17. "Pirelli Calendar makes comeback for 2022 as it goes On The Road with Iggy Pop, Rita Ora, Cher and Grimes". Car Dealer. 8 August 2021.
18. Paton, Elizabeth. (2023-09-06). "A Landmark Year for a Rare Calendar". The New York Times.
19. Whitworth, Melissa. (15 November 2011). "Behind the scenes at a Pirelli calendar shoot - Telegraph". Telegraph.
20. Cacouris, Christina. (1 September 2017). "The Untold Memos of a Casting Director: Jennifer Starr".
21. (15 November 2011). "The 80 Hottest Pirelli Calendar Girls".
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23. (30 November 2015). "The 2016 Pirelli Calendar May Signal a Cultural Shift".
24. (4 January 2018). "How Peter Lindbergh Changed Fashion Photography Forever".
25. (30 August 2015). "50 Years of Fashion's Sexiest Calendar (NSFW)".
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27. "Facts and Figures".
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29. (29 July 2015). "The Pirelli Book Is Finally Here! See 50 Years of Calendar Girls: Gisele, Kate Moss, and More".
30. (1964). "The decade from 1964 to '74".
31. (23 November 2017). "The Pirelli calendar 1964-2018".
32. (30 November 2015). "Why Did the Famously Nude Pirelli Calendar Decide to Skip the Nudity This Time?".
33. (1985). "The decade from '84 to '94".
34. (1999). "From 1994 to the present day".
35. (2012). "Pirellinos Rückzieher".
36. (15 February 2005). "Pinups for the auto elite".
37. (1 December 2010). "The 2011 Pirelli calendar: 'Mythology', by Karl Lagerfeld".
38. (6 December 2011). "Pirelli Calendar 2012 Photos: Nude Kate Moss, Lara Stone And Others Heat Up The Beach (NSFW PHOTOS)".
39. (27 November 2012). "Pirelli Calendar 2013 Photos: Models Wear Surprising Amount Of Clothing In Brazil".
40. (22 August 2016). "The Story Of The Recovered Calendar".
41. (7 December 2015). "Why Pirelli should bring back topless girls to their calendar".
42. (19 November 2014). "Pirelli calendar 2015: The problem with 'plus-size' models like Candice Huffine".
43. (18 November 2014). "The Pirelli Calendar 2015 Just Keeps Getting Hotter (NSFW PHOTOS)".
44. (30 November 2015). "The Pirelli 2016 Calendar Is Here and Unlike Anything You've Seen Before".
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46. (10 December 2016). "Pirelli's new 'feminist' calendar sexes up the wrinkles".
47. (29 November 2016). "The Actress-Packed Pirelli Calendar Continues With Feminist Flair In 2017".
48. (10 November 2017). "The All-Black 2018 Pirelli Calendar Is Here and It's My Childhood Dream Come True".
49. Conlon, Scarlett. (20 July 2017). "Adwoa, Naomi, Lupita, Whoopi: Pirelli Teases 2018 Calendar".
50. (3 August 2019). "Calendario Pirelli 2020, Cercasi Giulietta/ Foto e Video del Backstage".
51. (8 June 2021). "Creative Powerhouse Bryan Adams takes on the 48th Pirelli Calendar".
52. "Pirelli Calendar makes comeback for 2022 as it goes On The Road with Iggy Pop, Rita Ora, Cher and Grimes". Car Dealer. 8 August 2021.
53. Madden, Aemilia. (2022-11-16). "Why the 2023 Pirelli Calendar Is Like None Other".
54. Baron, Katie. (2023-09-26). "Pirelli Enlists Prince Gyasi For Radically Reincarnated 50th Calendar".
55. (14 October 2010). "Pirelli calendar to become film".
56. (21 November 2014). "The Cal – Collezione Pirelli".
57. (11 February 2016). "Exclusive: See Rare Pirelli Calendar Photos on Display at New York Fashion Week".
58. (17 March 2017). "2017 Pirelli Calendar By Peter Lindbergh And More..".