Titled Love Letters to the Muse, shot by Emma Summerton 2023 Pirelli Calendar Presented at the Pirelli Hangar Bicocca contemporary art museum in Milan.
The press release about the 2023 Pirelli Calendar stated: “The Australian photographer dedicates the 49th edition of the Pirelli Calendar (The Cal) to muses he doesn’t know as all the women who guide him in his search for inspiration, in his choices as an artist and as a human being. Emma Summerton has become the fifth female photographer to sign the Pirelli Calendar since the first edition was published in 1964.
Previously, Sarah Moon in 1972, Joyce Tenenson in 1989, and Inez Van Lamsveerde (of Inez and Vinoodh) in 2007, and Annie Leibovitz in 2000 and 2016 took Calendar photos. This year, Emma Summerton also contributed to the direction of the promotional video for the 2023 Calendar with director Carlo Alberto Orecchia.
“I wanted to go back to the meaning of ‘muse’ for the calendar. The muse originally represented the source and was talented in the fields of literature, science and art as well as inspiring,” said Emma Summerton.
“Women who do extraordinary, creative things, especially my mother, have fascinated and inspired me throughout my life and career. I learned a lot from writers, photographers, poets, actors and directors. That’s why I wanted to celebrate these extraordinary women and create a world to represent them.”
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The 2023 Pirelli Calendar brings together 28 photographs of 14 models that bring to life the visionary style that stands out in Emma Summerton’s works. Each model was chosen specifically for the role due to her close connection with the Muse she was asked to represent. Filming took place on sets set up in London and New York in June and July.
The photographer describes the process with the words: “The boundaries between the roles played by the models in my shoots and what they really are are not clearly defined, and everything blends together to create a magical realism in the photograph.”
For example, Guinevere Van Seenus is a photographer as well as a supermodel. Lauren Wasser is both a model and an athlete. Ashley Graham, who plays the Activist on Calendar, is also known for promoting body positivity, while Precious Lee, who plays the Storyteller character, also writes screenplays and fairy tales. The names that took part in the calendar were as follows:
-Lila Moss – Oracle
-Guinevere Van Seenus – PHOTOGRAPHER
-Adwoa Aboah – QUEEN
-Karlie Kloss – TECHNOLOGY SPECIALIST
-Sasha Pivovarova – ARTIST
-Lauren Wasser – ATHLETE
-Emily Ratajkowski – AUTHOR
-Cara Delevingne – ARTIST
-Bella Hadid – FAIRY
-Kaya Wilkins – MUSICIAN
-Precious Lee – Storyteller
-He Cong – WISE
-Adut Akech – Dreamcatcher
-Ashley Graham – ACTIVIST
Here are the shared behind-the-scenes images: