It has been called the single most historic event of the 20th century: On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins met John F. Kennedy’s call for a manned Moon landing by the end of the 1960s. A decade of tests and training, a staff of 400,000 engineers and scientists, a budget of $ 24 billion, and the most powerful rocket ever launched all combined in an unprecedented event watched by millions the world over. And no one captured the men, the mood, and the machinery like Norman Mailer.
The notoriously exclusive Pirelli Calendar, featuring glamorous shots of beautiful women, was first published in 1964. Reserved for important clients and VIPs, the calendar has since grown into a legend of its own, showcasing the beauty of models such as Alessandra Ambrosio, Gisele Bündchen, Naomi Campbell, Laetitia Casta, Cindy Crawford, Penélope Cruz, Milla Jovovich, Heidi Klum, Angela Lindvall, Sophia Loren, and Kate Moss.
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the now-legendary institution that is the Pirelli Calendar, TASCHEN brings you a retrospective volume reproducing the complete calendars, photographed by Richard Avedon, Peter Beard, Patrick Demarchelier, Nick Knight, Karl Lagerfeld, Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin, Annie Leibovitz, Peter Lindbergh, Sarah Moon, Uwe Ommer, Terry Richardson, Herb Ritts, Mario Sorrenti, Bert Stern, Mario Testino, Bruce Weber, and many more.
Bonus features include rarely and never-before-seen behind-the-scenes images of the shoots, the unpublished 1963 calendar, and a selection of “censored” images deemed too risqué by the editors of the time. With an introduction by Philippe Daverio and an interview with art directors Derek Forsyth and Martyn Walsh.
Collector’s Edition of 1,000 copies.