The Portraits | Haring, Goldberg, Smith, Byrne Set, 2023

Annie Leibovitz   Master Artists

Born in 1949 in Waterbury, Connecticut, USA, Anna Lou Leibovitz, known as Annie, is an American photographer. She is famous for her celebrity portraits. The daughter of Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Sam Leibovitz and dancer Marilyn Leibovitz, she first began studying painting at the San Francisco Art Institute. She discovered her passion for photography by taking evening classes. 

Annie Leibovitz is known for her pictures of musicians, actors other famous people working in the arts. From 1970 to 1983, she worked for Rolling Stone magazine and quickly became its official photographer at the age of 23 years. She followed the Rolling Stones on tour and took the last pictures of John Lennon, a few hours before he was murdered. 

This period was rich for the artist as she produced numerous photo reports, including the one on Richard Nixon's resignation, and nearly 142 magazine covers. She then worked for Vanity Fair and little by little built her legendary image in the fashion publishing industry with her iconic shots. One of her most famous magazine covers is a nude shot of a pregnant Demi Moore. In 2005, this photograph was ranked as the second best magazine cover of the last forty years by the American Society of Magazine Editors. 

In 1998, Annie Leibovitz joined the Vogue team and the following year she published a collection entitled "Women". Her series is striking and touching, she manages to show the women engaged with their environment and to grasp the intimacy of each of the figures she captures. She has also been involved in advertising campaigns, particularly for Givenchy and American Express. The artist was chosen to be the official photographer of the Atlanta Olympic Games, at the end of which she published "Olympic Portraits", with photographs of renowned athletes such as Carl Lewis.

In terms of technique, Annie Leibovitz the photographer surrounds herself with a consistent team and works as much on the image during the photo shot as in post-production. The framing is generally classical and the setting often theatrical. In addition, the postures of the bodies can be compared to baroque compositions. Indeed, the artist seeks to present her models in heroic postures, but also gives them an erotic touch. She plays with all of these codes, all the while challenging them.

Annie Leibovitz' work is recognized all over the world. She has been exhibited on numerous occasions in internationally renowned institutions. She held exhibitions at the National Portrait Gallery in London, the International Center of Photography in New York and also at the Corcoran Gallery in New York.

She has received numerous awards such as the Infinity Award of Applied Photography from the International Center of Photography, and the Barnard College Medal of Distinction. Retrospectives were dedicated to her, in 2006 at the Brooklyn Museum of Art and in 2008 at the Maison Européenne de la photographie.

Find this artist and many more in our collection of works by Celebrity Photographers