Pirelliworld2004 Richard Avedon

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Richard Avedon1923-2004

EDITORIAL

R ichard Avedon died in Texason 1st October 2004, aged81. This special edition ofPirelli World is a tribute to his art, pho-tography, and to the work done withPirelli during many years of collabo-ration. He began in 1995, making hisfirst calendar ever: which better way to

start if not with a Pirelli Cal, one of themost prestigious in the world? Then,

in 1996 he produced for Pirelli the cor-porate advertising campaign To propelthe Great Journey , aimed at summari-zing end emphasising the strength andgrowth trend of the Group. Finally, hecreated the 1997 Cal, entitled Womenof the World , inspired by Pirellis pre-sence on the international marketplace

through a collection of shots of womenfrom different countries.

Avedon once said: Mine is a sadform of art: it disappears as soonas it is made but it remains. Justas his art, Richard Avedon is sadlyno longer with us but he will fromnow on be remembered as a greatand unique artist. Pirelli is honouredto have had the opportunity to work

with such a landmark in the history ofphotography.


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P irelli Seasons, the title of the1995 Pirelli Cal, was the firstwork of this kind made byRichard Avedon: he had never done acalendar before and, aged 72, he accept-ed beginning with the most prestigiousof all. The theme of the calendar is thefour seasons: it may seem an ordinarysubject, but its representation here isan original and creative one. There areno sandy beaches, no hint of pin-up.

Avedon wanted to portray women in away that is classic, timeless, and aboveall, natural. The result is a collectionof photographs which are outside andbeyond fashion, breathtaking.

Four models were chosen for the1995 Calendar: Nadja Auermann, withher startling ice-cool looks, for Winter;Farrah Summerford for Spring, due toher youth; Naomi Campbell for Sum-mer, echoing the summer months withher glowing sensuality; Christy Turl-ington for Fall, due to her enchantingmysterious beauty.

It has been said of Avedon that hehas exchanged artificial poetry for

the poetry of the real: this poetry isabundantly expressed in the 1995Pirelli Calendar, which will definitelybe remembered as a high spot in theCalendars history.

The First Ave1995


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on Cal: 1995 The concept of visualising the four

seasons could have become aromantic pastiche of a sentimental era.

My challenge was to expressthe eternal, the mythic,

through contemporary images. Richard Avedon


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R ichard Avedon was not onlya great photographer, butalso a ingenious art directorin the advertising field. He was not anewcomer in the world of corporatecommunications either, even if mostof his career had been spent creatingimages for fashion magazines such asVogue and Harpers Bazaar. He actual-ly started in 1971 when he created anddirected a TV ad for Chanel featuringCatherine Deneuve. In 1995, whenhe first photographed the Pirelli Cal,he became familiar with the complextechnologies of our Group, our aims,aspirations and efforts for the future.Therefore he accepted with pleasurethe task of creating a new advertisingimage for the Company, one whichwould interpret its renewed strengthsand growth trend. That is how he

came up with the campaign entitledTo propel the great journey, with themotto from the lonesome road to theinformation superhighway, reflectingthe continuous evolution of Pirellisproducts and technology.

The print campaign - aimed at the

international business community -was released in September 1996 onall major business media, includingGermays Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Britains Financial Times andThe Economist , Americas Wall Street Journal and Business Week .

Avedons original image expressedexactly what Pirelli was and is stilltoday: an avant-garde corporationat the forefront of technology in allits sectors of business. In the lastfew years commented MarcoTronchetti Provera at the time of thecampaigns launch the Companyhas readdressed its strategy, renewedits products and market positioning,developed new technologies. Onlya great creative artist such as Rich-ard Avedon could so successfullyinterpret Pirellis new reality. Thecampaign proved to be very effectiveand remains one of the most success-ful to this day.

1996

Pirellis Corporate Adver An Unusu

It is not the camera that counts,but the mind that s behind it.

It is the imagination that guides true photography

Richard Avedon


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ising Campaign of 1996l Avedon:


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Women of the World is thetitle of this second AvedonCalendar, made in 1997 and

launched in Venice at Palazzo Grassi.For this edition, the great Americanphotographer was inspired by Pirellispresence as a multinational in a varietyof countries all over the world: Brazil,China, United States, Japan, etc. Hethus wanted to pay a tribute to allwomen, representing their country oforigin. Each one is extraordinary inher own way and in all of them Avedonfound the inspiration by which to cre-ate 12 intimate portraits, that celebratethe uniqueness, variety and beauty ofwomen everywhere. Sometimes, Ave-don chose two or three women for onecountry to emphasise cultural diversityand reveal the many faces of beaty. Oncethe Calendar had been ready, he com-mented: My job was to take pictures ofthe twelve most beautiful women of theplanet. I am not only a lucky and spoiledman I am also exhausted!

1997

The Second Av


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edon Cal: 1997


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1995PirelliCalendar:October


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Pirelliworld2004 Richard Avedon

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