[imagesource: Emma Summerton]

The Pirelli calendar has stayed true to art for the past 50 years.

Although, when it was first launched in the 1960s by the Italian tyre company, art must have meant scantily dressed women in raunchier poses.

Over the years, the annual trade calendar with a reputation for its choice of photographers and models has toned down substantially, bringing creators like Annie Leibovitz, Helmut Newton, and Mario Testino into the fold.

Last year, the ‘Everything I Do, I Do It For You’ singer Bryan Adams photographed Jennifer Hudson, Cher, and Rita Ora for his theme ‘On The Road’ featuring scenes from working musicians’ lives.

The 2023 calendar was unveiled yesterday, showing off a few “opulent, dream-like” teasers from the edition spangled with a star-studded cast, per CNN:

Titled “Letters to the Muse,” the calendar is an homage to a group of “extraordinary women” — artists, activists, athletes and other trailblazers — said Australian photographer Emma Summerton, who have inspired her.

“I wanted to go back to the etymological root of the word ‘muse’ and portray women who inspire me for their contribution to literature, science and the arts,” Summerton told CNN at the Italian tire company’s Milan headquarters, where the calendar’s press event was held.

The idea is to represent what these women really are and create worlds that could reflect and tell their more meaningful stories, Summerton added.

That means “it’s not your daddy’s pinup calendar anymore,” per one of the models, Ashley Graham, starring as “The Activist”:

The 14 models are seen as “muses” in highly-stylised photographs imbued with surreal or magical realism elements to depict their true nature.

The images dismantle the traditional artist-muse dynamic by celebrating the women for more than just their physical beauty, notes Fashionista:

Graham — a newcomer to the Pirelli calendar — says this “is a big marker in a model’s career… It’s more than just a beautiful woman stepping into her sexuality. There’s a story behind it.” She poses in silver latex stockings and underwear encased in a wave-like sculpted piece designed by Amanda Harlech. “I was wearing this huge piece of art. I love doing shoots like that because you can just lean into the fantasy.”

The header image shows Emily Ratajkowski, the author of the essay collection My Body, cast as “The Writer”.

Cara Delevingne appears as “The Performer” striking poses among giant dandelions:

Bella Hadid is depicted as “The Sprite”:

Guinevere Van Seenus is “The Photographer”:

Precious Lee stars as “The Storyteller”:

Lauren Wasser stars as “The Athlete”:

Wasser said that Summerton’s pictures leave you captivated and wanting more:

“That’s so hard to do with images nowadays, because we’re so, so saturated with them. But Emma’s photos resonate differently. She really captured me and my essence of resilience and strength.”

At 24, the model, Toxic Shock Syndrome activist (TSS) and once basketball player, suffered from TSS which led to the amputation of both of her legs. Continuing her career by storming the runway wearing prosthetic legs, she’s been hailed as game-changer in the industry.

In 2016, Annie Leibovitz broke from the calendar’s tradition of showcasing primarily artistic, sexy nudes by photographing a cast of high-achieving women in almost entirely clothed portraits.

As the fifth woman to shoot the calendar since it was first launched, Summerton is following her lead, and said that working with an almost all-female team was “extra special”.

An accompanying film shows the making of the calendar:

[sources:cnn&fashionista]