Karl Lagerfeld Unveils 2011 Pirelli Calendar in Moscow

Yesterday, Karl Lagerfeld, who shot Pirelli calendar for 2011, unveiled his work in Moscow with a press conference and a formal dinner afterward.

The Pirelli calendar, published since 1964, is famous for its nudes. Next year’s edition, photographed by fashion guru Lagerfeld, also features naked models (16 female models and five male), including Hollywood actress Julianne Moore. The designer chose the theme of ancient Greek mythology for the photo shoot. Each model embodies one of the Greek gods. For instance, Moore plays Hera, the queen of the gods; Dutch model Lara Stone portrays the goddess of beauty, Aphrodite.

At the presentation at Ritz-Carlton hotel in Moscow, Lagerfeld even compared himself to the chronicler of Greek mythology, calling himself the “visual version of Homer.”

The press conference was followed by formal dinner. The event was held at the prestigious Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko theater, the prestigious 90-year-old venue. Devine models, captured for the calendar, were all in attendance. Seven hundred other VIP invitees included Roman Abramovich’s fiancée Dasha Zhukova, writer Frederic Beigbeder and supermodel Eva Herzigova.

The 36 photos that make up the 2011 calendar show 24 different subjects, including gods, heroes and myths. With his keen eye, Lagerfeld has sculpted these photos both in terms of their aesthetics and for the recurring references to the art of sculpture and its classical tenets. All of the photos are in black and white, which lends character to the images, exalts the beauty of the figures represented in sharp chromatic contrast and gives them a certain three-dimensionality through the careful use of light.

www.pirelli.com

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