History of the Pirelli Calendar

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The limited edition is a very famous feature of the Pirelli calendar; in fact, this “object” is not available on the market, but it’s given as a gift to a limited number of famous people and important figures in the tyre market. For this reason, it has become a cult object, full of charm and art, starting from the artistic nudes that represent it.

The birth of a cultural phenomenon:

Year 1964

Pirelli was already producing calendars before 1964, in fact there are images of beautiful rose window online. But in the English branch of the Italian company Pirelli, they started talking about making different calendars. Since tyre dealers kept their erotic calendars hidden of the storage room, the idea was to make a calendar that should not be hidden. An artistic, glamorous object that could be on display and become part of fashionable decor.

The first assignment was given to a young photographer friend of the Beatles, the portraitist Robert Freeman, who was asked to create a beautiful calendar, he was free to work without constraints.

Splendidly erotic, the idea of Derek Forsyth, responsible for advertising and promotion of the Pirelli branch in the United Kingdom. It turned out to be brilliant, the refined artistic calendar immediately made people chat about it.

Thus, this calendar began to lose its primary function, counting the days of the year, but begin to mark the spirit of the times.

For photographers and models, being able to be involved in the creation of the Pirelli Calendar began it means to have entered the elite of photography.

In short, The Cal™ became a trendy “object”, synonymous with fashion and good taste.

Year 1969

Theme: The spirit of California

It is considered a classic, with immense evocative power: it was composed by immortalizing simple moments that release a sense of freedom, with the idea of representing the casual way of life of the American West Coast. Introducing black models and the layout with multiple frames made the English photographer Harry Peccinotti one of the most influential figures in artistic and fashion photography. This edition went down in history as the first Pirelli calendar containing a nude since there is in a veiled image of a nipple. Long lenses were used because although they wanted to bring the atmosphere of the Californian beaches, the Pirelli team landed in California during the mid-term holidays and found “almost no surfing and very few surfers”, so they used the long lenses to ensure that people did not realize they were being photographed.

Year 1971

Theme: Pirelli goes Jamaican

It represents an intriguing departure from everything that had happened before. This was true for both Pirelli and photographer Francis Giacobetti, who had also taken the photographs for the Calendars of the previous year. This calendar, Forsyth argued, was intended to be dark and romantic, filled with melancholy and very relaxing. “I wanted to assure people who received the Calendar that they could hang it on the wall, I was very aware that these were not pornographic shots. I am only a lighting technician,” he once said. “Lighting can be achieved with very simple elements and not necessarily with sophisticated equipment.” And indeed, Giacobetti used very simple cameras, natural light and various filters.

From 1975 to 1983 The Cal™ was stopped due to the global economic crisis caused by the increment of the price of crude oil. This it will not be the only time that the calendar will be stopped, also in 2021 due to Covid the calendar will not be published. Pirelli preferred to donate € 100,000 to anti-Covid projects.

Year 1985

Theme: Fashion

After a nine-year off, the calendar returns in a grand style. Norman Parkinson, a renowned photographer in the fashion field, was chosen: 70 years old of which 50 spent behind the lens. Very famous models and stylists were called. In a hotel in Edinburgh, clothes by British stylists were paraded. The goal it was trying of producing garments that could resemble the tread of the P6 tyre as a creative element. The resulting images are in full 80s style, very bright and playful. Full with the optimism and audacity that brighted those years. Parkinson was a gentleman photographer, an old-fashioned man, with his eccentric but always very polite style, he managed to convince the models to dare. The result of all these elements was an historic event, and the participation of models and stylists acted as a springboard for world-class advertising. An interesting fact was that all the garments used for the calendar are now part of the permanent collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.

That same year, the photographer published the book “Would You Let Your Daughter?” a book that shows the art, sensuality and great respect that Parkinson had for women. He himself said “I have an enormous respect for women, and there is a minimum margin within which it is possible to take pictures of girls in skimpy clothing so that they maintain their elegance, their beauty and their style”

Year 1994

Theme: Women in the 90s

The man of the moment was Herb Ritts, a leading figure in the world of fashion, entertainment and advertising, this is why he was chosen to take the photos for the 1994 calendar. The team of models was also magnificent: Helena Christensen, Cindy Crawford, Karen Alexander and Kate Moss. The intention was to tell the story of the women of the 90s and their place in the world: proud and seductive women, beautiful inside and out. The calendar, set in the Bahamas, had to be something different, revolutionary. The delicate innocence of nineteen-year-old Kate Moss, the sensuality of Cindy Crawford in a pin-up poses, the strength of Helena Christensen and the refined elegance of Karen Alexander, were immortalized by one of the greatest photographers of the last century. The title of the work is “A tribute to women”, in fact Ritts brings his own interpretation of sensuality, this brought new life to the Pirelli calendar.

Year 1995

Theme: The Seasons according to Pirelli

The Pirelli Calendar has never been crude or vulgar, but it is a collection that enhance female beauty with elegance. This representation is always made in step with the times, and that is the reason why for more than 60 years it has always been a cult object. In this edition the top models immortalized are Naomi Campbell and Christy Turlington. This rare Pirelli calendar produced by Richard Avedon presents images of beautiful women photographed in suggestive and elite environments: backgrounds of exotic beaches and natural places. It was not the only edition for Richard Avedon who continues his story of female beauty also in 1997.

Year 2004

Theme: Dreams and desires of women

Artistic director Peter Saville and photographer Nick Knight were given ‘’carte blanche’’ to create this calendar. The focus shifted from male desires to the female ones, women were asked what pictures they wanted in the calendar, the result was a dreamlike work, the result of an artistic research elaborated with modern digital photography techniques, a very particular result for Pirelli that before this edition had always focused on the artistic eroticism of wonderful models.

Year 2005

Theme: The energetic and positive spirit of people

It was created by Patrick Demarchelie, and it is set in the vivid and energetic city of Rio de Janeiro which, according to Naomi Campbell (protagonist of the calendar for the third time), “reflects the energetic and positive spirit of the people”. The spirit of Brazil is perfectly represented by Demarchelie. His black and white photos are based on the classic technique of photography, studio techniques are applied to spectacular and bright places and the result are pictures completely in the nature. Strictly in black and white, these 21 shots are the research for the source of the invisible charm of all the models. All the pictures they weren’t modified in order to preserve the authenticity of the shots. The behind scenes of that year it was also revealed. At the Cannes Film Festival, for the first time in 40 years, the book of the backstage of the Pirelli calendar was shown, the magical atmospheres of a myth.

Year 2009

Theme: Only beauty can save the world

Following the works of Fyodor Dostoevsky, the theme is Only beauty can save the world. The 36th calendar is set against the landscapes of Botswana, where photographer Peter Beard has produced what he calls “a living sculpture”. For 10 days, world-famous models posed for the 56 tables. Peter Beard lived in Kenya for 30 years and therefore he is considered one of the greatest exponents of the charm of Africa. The photographer’s eye has immortalized a wild and ancestral land, the protagonists are full of strength and appear almost like divine figures. Beard’s point of view is environmentalist, he wanted to show territories that are being destroyed, driven by the fear that in a place where biodiversity is lacking it is impossible to survive. During all stages of production methods were adopted to contain the environmental impact.

Year 2013

Theme: On the streets of Rio

This time the choice of photographer was peculiar. Differently from the previous editions, the chosen photographer was not in the world of fashion, but a war photojournalist. According to Steve McCurry “The most interesting way to work was to walk down the street and capture life as it presented itself, by pure chance.” All the models who posed were dressed and each of them was active in a social organization. Isabeli Fontana, for example, takes care of disadvantaged children in the 1love association. Petra Nemcova founded Happy Hearts and the others were involved in charity projects. The real protagonist of this 2013 edition was once again the city of Rio de Janeiro, the streets, the skylines, the graffiti and the bars were more than the frame, they were the object of this work.

Year 2016

Theme: Women in their various expressions

The photos must go beyond physical matter in this edition, 13 women with completely different backgrounds, origins and ages were chosen. Portraitist Annie Leibovitz explains the reasons for this choice at the presentation of the calendar held inside the Roadhouse in London, an historic temple of rock. In this edition, women’s beauty is sought and captured in their spirit rather than in their body. Actresses such as Yao Chen, the first Chinese ambassador of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), producer Kathleen Kennedy, president of Lucasfilm, art collector and patron Agnes Gund, tennis player Serena Williams, Patti Smith and Yoko Ono participated. All these women achieved goals in the world of art, fashion, cinema, entertainment, industry, music, sport and represent a portrait of contemporaneity. The photos were not so much focused on the external appearance, but on the proudness of being women. Even if with simplicity, these are black and white photos taken in the studio, the work done conveys a very strong message.

Year 2018

Theme: Alice in Wonderland

As in 1987 we have an “all black” cast. Musicians, actors, models and political activists. In this powerful reimagining of Alice in Wonderland, we can see Whoopi Goldberg as the Cheshire Cat, Djimon Hounsou and RuPaul as the King and Queen of Hearts, “Diddy” Combs and Naomi Campbell as head-hunters. Tim Walker brings a message of diversity with dreamlike and imaginative atmospheres.

Year 2024

Theme: We are not born timeless, but we become timeless

The young Ghanaian visual artist Prince Gyasi had a unique approach to the 2024 Pirelli Calendar project. The proposal is to explore a legacy (literally inheritance, in a broader sense also understood as heritage), collective memory and the impact of celebrity. Gyasi’s story is titled “Timeless”: the characters of this edition, according to the photographer, have been able to identify, cultivate and realize their talents. They challenged the idea of time, age and fame and have begun to follow their own unique and original path. The idea was to seek authenticity, showing these characters as modern superheroes, who have stopped time by representing different generations across the board. The poster says “We do not seek fame. We do not seek success. We do not seek confirmation. Disciples of our own abilities. We challenge those who say we cannot, that we are too old, too young, too different, too much, too little. We seek the choice to choose the journey and live under a firmament of possibilities of our own creation”. What has been created is a catwalk suspended between photography and painting: the study of the picture is done to the millimetre, the scenography is meticulously curated and nothing is chosen randomly, such as the position of the characters who appear to adhere to the strictest rules of perspective, like dreamy paintings. “I want to tell a story that highlights the strength of how our success that can be experienced in the eyes of the people that we inspire. At the end, this project is not about my or your journey; it is about their journey, about my community, about young people. This project represents an opportunity for other young people like me to see these images and be inspired by them to become the best version of themselves.”

A small spoiler for 2025: we will return to the concept of nudity, understood as a way to capture the true essence of someone. Green has become known for a set of extraordinarily intimate works, capable of capturing and highlighting the authentic beauty of his subjects.

All photos are property of Pirelli.

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