Time.news – The dreamlike style of Emma Summerton marks the 2023 Pirelli Calendar. Presented in Milan in the Pirelli HangarBicocca contemporary art museum “Love Letters to the Muse”, lhe 49th edition of The Cal™ was dedicated by the Australian photographer to her musesthat is, to the many women who, in her search for inspiration, have guided her along her paths and choices as an artist and as a person.
From the first edition of 1964 to today, Emma Summerton is the fifth woman to sign the Calendar after Sarah Moon in 1972, Joyce Tenenson in 1989, Inez Van Lamsveerde (of the duo Inez and Vinoodh) in 2007 and Annie Leibovitz in 2000 and 2016. Emma Summerton has photographed for almost all the magazines of Vogue, reaching the milestone of 50 covers in 2022.
Model Precious Lee
This year Emma Summerton herself has also directed, together with director Carlo Alberto Orecchia, the video presentation of the Pirelli 2023 Calendar. “For the Calendar I wanted to go back to the etymological root of the word muse. Musa originally represented not only the source of inspiration, but also someone who possessed talent in literature, science and the arts”, explained Emma Summerton saying she was “fascinated by women who do extraordinary and creative things, women who have inspired me throughout my life career and throughout my life, starting with my mother. People from whom I learned a lot: writers, photographers, poets, actresses and directors. My idea, therefore, was to celebrate these extraordinary women and to create a world in which to represent them”.
Cara Delevingne
The 2023 Pirelli Calendar collects 28 shots of 14 models portrayed in a dreamlike style that distinguishes the work of Emma Summerton. Their choice was not accidental. Each of them, in fact, has affinities with the Muse that she was called to represent on the sets built between London and New York for the shooting that took place between June and July.
Emily Ratajkowski
“In my shots, the boundary between the role that the models play and what they really are is not defined and everything merges into images that evoke magical realism,” explains the photographer. So, for example, we find Guinevere Van Seenuswho in addition to being a supermodel is actually also a photographer; Lauren watermodel but also athlete; Ashley Grahamwho in the Calendar represents the activist, known for her support of body positivity; Precious Leethe storyteller who loves to write screenplays and stories.