Annie Leibovitz

He has photographed just about everyone throughout his still glittering photography career. Annie Leibovitz is a master of portraits, capable of giving the viewer real snapshots of life rather than the usual set shots. His style involves a close collaboration between photographer and model : a winning approach, capable of translating into true works of art that you never stop admiring.

 

Biography

Born in Waterbury (Connecticut) on October 2, 1949, Annie Leibovitz is the third of six children. His family used to move often due to his father's job as a US Air Force officer; this "nomadic" life contributes to fueling Leibovitz's passion for photography.

The photographer's mother instead fuels the fire of art in young Annie, who begins to take her first shots in the Philippines, where her family always finds itself due to her father's profession. The close contact with the ugliness of the war in Vietnam profoundly influenced Leibovitz's future style, who decided to dedicate herself to the search for beauty first through painting, subsequently making use of the photographic medium also thanks to her fortunate encounters with two sacred monsters of photography: Robert Frank and Henri Cartier Bresson.

Annie Leibovitz's career took off starting in the Seventies. After numerous freelance collaborations, the American obtained a place in the prestigious magazine “Rolling Stone“, for which she became a commercial photographer. The photographer will collaborate with the magazine for thirteen years, creating memorable covers such as the one in which the actress Meryl Streep is portrayed.

Not only fashion, but also music: in 1975 Annie Leibovitz became the official photographer of the band The Rolling Stones, immortalizing the group in unforgettable shots throughout their tour. Other important works by the photographer born in 1949 are: the advertising campaign American Express; the portraits created for the magazine “Vanity Fair“; the Lavazza calendar in 2009; the Pirelli calendar in 1999 and 2016.

Annie Leibovitz broke a very special "record": she was, in fact, the first female photographer to exhibit at the Washington National Portrait Gallery.

Style and muses

Over the course of her long - and still prolific - career Annie Leibovitz has photographed almost all the big names in international fashion and showbiz, adapting a photographic style to each client.

The Connecticut photographer shows unprecedented versatility, resorting to the use of black and white, photo editing or color depending on your needs. There are, however, some cornerstones in Leibovitz's artistic style: the improvisation ability, the composition, attention to linearity and to choice of tones. Mixing creativity and rigor Annie Leibovitz continues to create inimitable, elegant, refined shots.

Bold colours, soft contrasts, snapshots with a dramatic mood: these are the cornerstones of Annie Leibovitz's photographs which reach the pinnacle of beauty in her portraits. Among the most famous works of the photographer we remember the famous shot that portrays John Lennon and Yoko Ono embracing; the aforementioned “Rolling Stone” cover featuring Meryl Streep; the portrait that immortalizes the actress Whoopi Goldberg immersed in a tub full of milk.

Many stars have posed for Annie Leibovitz, becoming her muses. Among these: Demi Moore, Queen Elizabeth II, Leonardo DiCaprio, Bruce Springsteen.

Private life

Annie Leibovitz was romantically linked to the historian and philosopher Susan Sontag. Their union lasted until Sontag's death from leukemia.

Honours

• Prince of Asturias Award for Communication and Humanities (Spain) — Oviedo, 23 May 2013

Bibliography, filmography and social contacts

In addition to collective works, Annie Leibovitz has published several monographic works, but not only that. The photographer has also published a narrative work and was the protagonist of a documentary, made in 2012.

Leibovitz is also very active on social networks: just visit the photographer's official Instagram page to admire her works.

Bibliography

• 1984 –  Photographs, Thames & Hudson (Gran Bretagna)
• 1991 –  Photographs 1970 – 1990, Harper Collins Publishers (U.S.A.)
• 1996 – Olympic Portraits U.S.A., Bulfinch Press (U.S.A.)
• 1999 – Women, Random House (U.S.A.)
• 1999 – Annie Leibovitz/1968-1997, TeNeues Publishing, Stern Portfolio (Germany)
• 2003 – American Music, Jonathan Cape (U.S.A.)
• 2008 – Annie Leibovitz At Work, Random House (U.S.A.)
• 2009 – Photographs of a Life 1990-2005, De Agostini (Italy)
• 2011 – Pilgrimage, By Agostini (Italy)

Narrative work

• Annie Leibovitz, We loved each other so much

Cinema

• Barbara Leibovitz, Annie Leibovitz: Life Through a Lens, 2006

Website

You can admire the works of Annie Leibovitz by visiting the Artnet page dedicated to the photographer