"Starting as an object of curiosity and male desire, the Pirelli Calendar has become a product capable of subverting its own assumptions, becoming a symbol of artistic expression and, for this very reason, also of social reflection. " - Giorgia Aprosio, Domus (Italy, 2024)
MMX Gallery is delighted to present The 90s were Nice... Female, Body & Beauty - a selection of original photographic prints by Herb Ritts and Bruce Weber from the 1990's Pirelli's private portfolio collection. Available to view Online Exclusive on Artsy.
These are original test prints; some of them were selected and became iconic images while others were not selected for the Pirelli's Calendar so in fact are so unique.
Some of these prints might not even have been published which makes them very rare, an interesting find for any art or photography collector.
"Derek Forsyth who was the producer and designer of the Calendar from 1963 to 1974, contacted more than 10 photographers before choosing Ritts, won over by his style, his classic images, his method of work and his enthusiasm and empathy for the theme of the Calendar. After all, no photographer was better at producing pictures that were modern classics."
Ritts wanted the 1994 Pirelli Calendar to be "more 90s" than previous editions, which meant casting the top models of the day and portraying them "in their most natural, inner beauty". Ritts chose four women, each with what he called her "own special sensuality". He characterised it this way: "the gentle innocence of Kate Moss, the strength of Helena Christensen, the classic beauty of Cindy Crawford, and the refined elegance of Karen Alexander".
"The shoot took place in late May and lasted 10 days. The location was Honeymoon Island - a private, uninhabited island in the Bahamas. Every day, the crew got there by ferry at dawn from nearby Paradise Island. The final images mix colour and sepia black and white. Shot on and around the beach, the setting is never allowed to pull focus from the women themselves. We see a printed cloth, some palm fronds, and a glimpse of sand. Nothing more. The models are mostly nude except for a shell necklace, a fishing net or a hessian brief." - Pirelli Stories, Pirelli Calendar 1994: how Herb Ritts made a "modern classic".
Herb Ritts was a leading American fashion photographer of the 1980s and 1990s, known for his beautifully printed, formally bold, and sensual black-and-white images of supermodels as well as seen here shots in colour of the world of celebrities.
Ritts' work often appeared in magazines like Vogue, Elle, Harper's Bazaar, Vanity Fair and Rolling Stone. His photos graced music album covers and appeared in advertisements for companies like Donna Karan, Calvin Klein, the Gap and Giorgio Armani. He has published books of his work, and his photography has also been displayed in galleries and museums worldwide and his work is part of many private and museum collections.
The other set of Pirelli's presented portfolio includes a vast selection of original prints by Bruce Weber (stamped by Bruce Weber on verso) for 1998 Calendar. The photoshoot took place in Miami in 1997 and was entitled: Women that Men Live For by Bruce Weber.
Models include Patricia Arquette, Georgina Grenville, Daryl Hannah, Shalom Harlow, Eva Herzigová, Kirsty Hume, Elaine Irwin Mellencamp, Milla Jovovich, Kiara Kabukuru, Tanga Moreau, Carolyn Murphy, Rachel Roberts, Stella Tennant.
And also BB King, Bono, Paul Cadmus, Francesco Clemente, Kris Kristofferson, John Malkovich, Ewan McGregor, Dermot Mulroney, Dan O'Brien, Sonny Rollins, Kelly Slater, Fred Ward.
Bruce Weber is a photographer and filmmaker best known for black-and-white photographs that capture an all-American look and feel. Often working in portraiture, Weber strives to capture the emotions of his subjects and honestly reveal elements of personality. While he credits Diane Arbus as an artistic influence, Weber has helped define an idealised and iconic American look, particularly through 1980s advertisement campaigns for brands such as Abercrombie and Fitch, Ralph Lauren, and Calvin Klein.
The Pirelli Calendar, known and trade-marked as "The Cal", is an annual trade calendar which has been published by the UK subsidiary of the Italian tyre manufacturing company Pirelli since 1964. The calendar has a reputation for its choice of photographers and models and featured glamour photography from the 1980s until the 2010s.
The calendar is produced with limited availability (20,000 are printed annually). Copies do not go on sale, but are instead given as corporate gifts to celebrities and select Pirelli customers. The annual production cost was about US$2 million in 2017.
Marco Tronchetti Provera, Pirelli's CEO from 1992 to 2022, commented that the purpose of the Cal is "to mark the passing of time" by recording the zeitgeist...