Published for the first time in 1964, the Pirelli Calendar is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.
To celebrate, Pirelli has decided not to produce a 2014 Calendar, but to release the unpublished 1986 Pirelli Calendar created by Helmut Newton, which to date has been kept under wraps in the company’s archives, capitalizing on the coincidence that 1986 and 2014 have the same calendar year.
The calendar is “a symbol that for fifty years not only celebrates the female beauty, but also celebrates the complexity of an art that has been able to transform itself over time. With constantly changing styles and authors, this art always manages to express a new aspect of history,” the Pirelli website writes.
“The Cal” was the brainchild of Pirelli UK Limited, the Italian tyre company’s British subsidiary. In 1964, looking for a marketing strategy to help Pirelli stand out from domestic competition, they appointed art director Derek Forsyth and British photographer Robert Freeman, famous for his portraits of the Beatles, to produce what was an entirely innovative project for its day.
Since then, the Pirelli calendar has continued to mark the passing of time with images by the most highly acclaimed photographers of the moment, capturing contemporary culture and setting new trends.
The calendar features 12 black and white photographs and 29 backstage shots.
Get a preview of the calendar here:
