PIRELLI - THE CALENDAR MYTH AND PROVOCATION

To mark the 60th anniversary, the exhibition shows 200 motifs by the internationally renowned photographers of the legendary Pirelli calendar.

Barlach Halle K, Hamburg

Klosterwall 13, 20095 Hamburg

The Italian tyre manufacturer Pirelli has been awarding the artistic realisation of the Pirelli calendar to renowned photographers every year since 1964. The calendars were never available for purchase, but were only ever given as gifts to selected friends of the company.

The history of the Pirelli calendar began in 1964 with the edition by Robert Freeman, the portraitist of the Beatles, and developed over more than 60 years from once erotically provocative images to a photographic mirror for a present characterised by diversity.

Once synonymous with aesthetically staged glossy eroticism, the Pirelli calendar has undergone a remarkable metamorphosis in recent decades. Today it symbolises the historical transformation of gender roles, sexual morals, taste and the ideal of beauty. The calendar is a mirror of contemporary society, it is a myth and a cultural phenomenon.

Many of the best international photographers took up the challenge of the famous calendar, including stars such as Bert Stern, Richard Avedon, Peter Lindbergh, Karl Lagerfeld and Helmut Newton.

Famous models from fashion, film and music stood in front of the camera for the calendar - such as Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss, Patti Smith, Milla Jovovich, Jennifer Lopez, Penelope Cruz, Sophia Loren and many others.

Sarah Moon (1972), Joyce Tennyson (1989), Annie Leibovitz (2000/2016) and Emma Summerton (2023) proved that female photographers can also communicate the message of this globally coveted edition in a unique way.