PIRELLI CALENDAR EXPOSED
From Sizzling Sexy to Artful + Socially Conscious
Bryan Adams, the Canadian artist who since the late 1990s has combined a rock career with his passion for photography, taking portraits of musicians, actors, and models, is set to shoot the 2022 Pirelli Calendar. Adams broke the news via his social media, stating, “proud to finally reveal that I am the photographer for the 2022 Pirelli Calendar”.
The upcoming calendar will be the 48th edition, following the original “Cal” launch in 1964. The Italian tire company publishes the annual trade calendar and has always featured some of the fashion industry’s most noted photographers, stylists, and models, as well as celebrities and world leaders. Copies do not go on sale but instead are given as corporate gifts to celebrities and select Pirelli customers.
Historically, the calendar has featured provocative pin-ups of women, but the calendar has become more progressive over the years. The 2018 Calendar shot by British photographer Tim Walker was inspired by Alice in Wonderland and featured an all-black cast of Lupita Nyong’o, Naomi Campbell, Djimon Hounsou, Whoopi Goldberg, and RuPaul.
Marking another cultural shift, the 2016 Calendar shot by American photographer Annie Leibovitz showcased a pantheon of women of all ages, chosen for their achievements in fields as diverse as art, music, sport, cinema, and comedy. The models included Yoko Ono, Amy Schumer, Kathleen Kennedy, Serena Williams, Tavi Gevinson, and Shirin Neshat.
The late Peter Lindbergh was at the helm of the 2017 Calendar. The German photographer called the creation “Emotional,” emphasizing how his aim was “not shoot a calendar about perfect bodies but to capture sensitivity and emotion, laying bare the souls of the women in the images, rendering them more naked than a nude.” The star-studded cast included: Jessica Chastain, Penelope Cruz, Nicole Kidman, Rooney Mara, Helen Mirren, Julianne Moore, Alicia Vikander, to name a few. Lindbergh was the first in the industry to have shot three editions of “The Cal.”
Since the Calendar’s launch, Pirelli has tapped some of the world’s leading photographers and creatives to shoot its pages. Adams joins Norman Parkinson, Terence Donovan, Helmut Newton, Peter Beard, and Richard Avedon, among other legends.
The 2022 announcement marks the return of the Calendar, which was suspended last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. For now, though, the cast and concept for “The Cal” and the location for the shoot remain a closely guarded secret.
