↓
 

Flesh & Relics

Mostly Other People's Art: Women, Machines, Outlaws and Rust. Not Necessarily in That Order.

Flesh & Relics
  • Home
  • CVKustoms
  • TransverseAlchemy
  • Good Karma Productions
1 2 >>

Monthly Archives: November 2015

Post navigation

← Previous Post

Pirelli: The World Famous Calendar Company that also makes tires.

Flesh & Relics Posted on November 30, 2015 by CharlieNovember 30, 2015

1calendario-pirelliFounded in Milan in 1872 by Giovanni Battista Pirelli, the Pirelli company initially specialized in rubber and derivative processes and also made scuba diving rebreathers. Later the company focused on the production of tires and cables ( Pirelli sold its cable division to Goldman Sachs in 2005). In 1974, Pirelli invented the “wide radial tire”, on request from the Lancia rally racing team. Subsequently, Porsche started using the same tires with the award-winning Porsche 911 Turbo.

The Pirelli Calendar was started by Derek Forsyth, the former Advertising Manager at Pirelli, with the intent of optimizing the value of the restricted advertising budget. At the time Pirelli, like most companies, would distribute various promotional gadgets such as key chains or ashtrays personalized with the company logo. Forsyth wanted to allocate the marketing resources on a single object that had a wide appeal. Thus was born the Pirelli calendar.

 

1963-01gen

In 1963 the company asked emergent photographer Terence Donovan for a series of images based on the twelve best-selling Pirelli products, in twelve different areas of export. Donovan photographed the models together with the Pirelli products; bicycle tires were the best-selling product in Hong Kong, and a Chinese girl posed for Donovan on a bicycle; airplane tires were clearly the best-selling product in the Fiji Islands, so that the inside of an airplane was chosen as the location to photograph a girl from the Fiji Islands, and so on for each one of the twelve images of the calendar. The calendar was not a success, to the point that this first edition has been virtually almost ignored by every publication of the Pirelli Calendar.

1963-04apr1963-12dic1963-09set  1963-11nov
1963 – Terence Donovan

 

8dc2b32c60The 1964 calendar, shot by British fashion photographer Robert Freeman in Majorca, was more tasteful. It was also a bit racier, featuring a topless model (modestly covered). Only 4000 copies were handed out to  Pirelli tire dealers each year according to some rumors. But the Calendar soon cast off its original role as a “corporate freebie” and turned into an exclusive publication with a strong aesthetic and cultural vocation.
Pirelli claims that their calendar reflects society’s tastes. 1965 is a bit bolder than 1964; one photo shows a bra peaking out from under a shirt and shorts that are partially unzipped. 1966 is a step more risqué, with a provocative rear view (May, again) featuring see-through panties. 1968 bares the first nipple, and by 1970 the calendar is featuring unabashedly sensual photos shot by Italian magazine and advertising photographer Francis Giacobetti in Paradise Island, Bahamas. By 1974 there was an obvious focus on the tits.

 

059651356cc7298bb219e4456b45d6b762454a8b

1964 – Robert Freeman

1965 (2)1965

1965 – Brian Duffy

e243fbe51b 31ac32c52c 8c91095051

1966 – Peter Knapp

1968 (2) 1968

1968 – Harri Peccinotti

1970 (3) 1970 1970 (2)

1970 – Francis Giacobetti

Pirelli-Calendar-1973-Brian-Duffy-7 1973

1973 – Brian Duffy

8bg hans_feurer__1974_5260.jpeg_north_660x_white url

1974 – Hans Feurer

37606d1257314358-sale-22-wheels-pirelli-tires-e53-x5-img_3385

The Pirelli Calendar stopped publishing from 1975 through 1983, as the company struggled with the gas crisis and union problems. But it roared back in 1984 with German-born photographer Uwe Ommer. All of the models were now fully nude and each photo displays the Pirelli tire track pattern, sometimes emblazoned directly onto the models’ bodies. February features three perfectly formed bare bottoms on a Bahamas beach, inked with tire tracks and back-dropped by a deep blue sea and tropical sky.

 

p1984-001 p1984-010Pirelli-Calendar-19841984 – Uwe Ommer

In 1985, Pirelli’s British and Italian teams both commissioned a 1986 calendar – Britain enlisting photographer Bert Stern, Italy enlisting Helmut Newton. Until then, the project had been handled solely by the UK arm of the company and there was some argument as to which version would be published. Coincidentally, Newton had to abandon his project mid-way through shooting due to personal issues, so Stern received the commission.
Newton’s series was still completed to his specifications by his assistants Manuela Pavesi and Xavier Alloncle, and  Pirelli stored them in their archives as a “family heirloom”. In 2014, coincidentally (or not) a calendar year in which the dates precisely line up with 1986, the 50th anniversary of the calendar itself (if you conveniently ignore the 8 years it wasn’t published) and 9 years after Helmut Newton’s death, the photos were finally published. Surprisingly, not only were Newton’s models still clothed but his shoot featured actual tires.
In case you forgot, Pirelli is actually a tire company.

121206101420-pirelli-calendar-12-horizontal-large-gallery pirelli-calendar-1986_1 1986_(10) 1130261_original 1130607_original

1986, Bert Stern

1-2014-pirelli-calendar-Jan 5-2014-pirelli-calendar-may 6-2014-pirelli-calendar-june 7-2014-pirelli-calendar-july 8-2014-pirelli-calendar-Aug  3-marchCalendrier-Pirelli-2014-50-anniversaire-12 9-septemberCalendrier-Pirelli-2014-50-anniversaire-10 11-Calendrier-Pirelli-2014-50-anniversaire-7-686x651 12-pirelli-calendar-2014-helmut-newton-december

1986, Helmut Newton (Pub. 2014)

Since then Pirelli has enlisted the industry’s most renowned photographers to shoot the world’s most beautiful women for what has become an iconic calendar, exclusive to the glitterati. The likes of Sophia Loren, Alessandra Ambrosio, Gisele, J. Lo, Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Milla Jocovich and Kate Moss have stripped off to grace it’s pages, while Richard Avedon, Patrick Demarchelier, Nick Knight, Karl Lagerfeld, Inez and Vinoodh, Annie Leibovitz, Peter Lindbergh, Mario Sorrenti and Bruce Weber have all stepped up to the lens.

pirelli-1987-03-marzo-terence-donovan-413497 25648535_1_l 36421323_1_x
 1987 – Terence Donovan

1987’s calendar featured two models newly discovered by returning photographer Terence Donovan: Somalian born Waris Dirie and a young English model named Naomi Campbell. Both went on to build hugely successful careers in modeling and film, and have been internationally recognized for their work in various humanitarian causes.

 1877894-50-ans-calendrier-pirelli-1991 pirelli-calendars-77 09_450.103598.jpg.1635555pirelli-calendars-78

1991 – John Claridge

pirelli-cal-1998-bruce-weber8 pirelli-cal-1998-bruce-weber3 pirelli-cal-1998-bruce-weber5

1998 – Bruce Weber

2007-lou-doillon-inez-van-laamswerde-vinoodh-matadin tumblr_neqk38xVG71qj0fv4o1_1280 19 3 25 86-lou-doillon-inez-van-laamswerde-vinoodh-matadin

2007 – Inez van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin

The 2007 calendar marked a turning point from most previous years: with a simplistic film set that Pirelli claimed  returned to the 1960’s as stylized in the classic foreign films of Pier Paolo Pasolini and Michelangelo Antonino. The use of 70 year old Sophia Loren (fully clothed) was a direct link to that era. The models also included Hillary Swank, Naomi Watts, Penelope Cruz & Lou Doillon. By now it had become a virtual “Who’s Who” of the VIP set from several continents, and although its release still commanded the fawning attention of the fashion world it was also drawing criticism for, believe it or not, not showing enough skin.

pirelli-motorcycle-tires-night-dragon-reviewThe particularly odd thing about the Pirelli calendar is its distribution. You won’t see it on the wall of your local tire shop or garage, and you can’t buy one on the newsstand: in fact it’s sent to only a very select number of key clients and celebrity VIP’s. As Tom Fordy remarked in a 2014 article for The Telegraph,” It can’t be bought, yet it must cost a bomb to make. Presumably it still makes excellent business sense to Pirelli as a marketing exercise (the fact that I’m writing about it suggests they’re right), even though, surely, no one ever reads a press article about the latest calendar and thinks, “That reminds me, I must pop down to Kwik-Fit and stock up on a new set of radials.”

2-246344a1aa 4-dbcf9efed2 5-cee6f32d2f

2010 – Terry Richardson

“For more than 50 years the Pirelli Calendars have shaken the media world with their audacity, innovation and spectacular imagery. The Calendar was very much a product of the cultural revolution which inspired a new sensuality, a new appreciation of the female form and, above all, an urgent need to break taboos. In the sixties a tidal wave of creative energy swept through rock music, fashion, films and photography, and the stuffiness and austerity of post-war London quickly surrendered to a new vitality which turned the city into the style capital of the world. At the same time a tire manufacturer with a foreign name shot to fame outside Italy with an annual PR extravaganza which became coveted by students, cabinet ministers, royalties and superstars alike. The Pirelli Calendar has redefined the rules of glamorous photography; by tradition calendars were hung on garage walls – now they hang in museums, and Pirelli have gone on redefining those rules year after year. Its twelve leaves were – and still are – awaited with enthusiastic anticipation.” – FastDates.com

101214

2015 – Steven Meisel

Of course most of the imagery is online today and readily accessible through Google, which has certainly demystified the publication to a considerable extent. Perhaps in response to that, Pirelli themselves have joined with Taschen publishing to produce a 576-page tome containing every edition for the first 50 years. It also includes “…never-before-seen images from the shoots and some rare “censored” photos that were considered too risqué by the editors and therefore never saw the light of day.”
The popular edition of the book retails for $49.99;  it was also released as a Collector’s Edition in a limited print run of 1,000 that included artist proofs, which, despite costing $2,000, was quickly sold out.

For those of you anxiously anticipating the 2016 calendar, renowned photographer Annie Leibovitz has handpicked a series of “inspirational” models including Serena Williams, Yoko Ono, Patti Smith, Kathleen Kennedy, Yao Chen and Shirin Neshat. In a statement released by the Pirelli team, Leibovitz explained her vision and direction for next year’s release: ” I started to think about the roles that women play, women who have achieved something. I wanted to make a classic set of portraits. I thought that the women should look strong but natural and I decided to keep it a very simple exercise of shooting in the studio. This calendar is so completely different. It is a departure. The idea was not to have any pretense in these pictures and be very straightforward.”


fran-lebowitz- 20150928-105433-1888497048

Leibovitz also worked on the Pirelli calendar in 2000, which makes her one of 10 photographers who have shot two editions since its debut in 1964. The upcoming 2016 edition will also reportedly be a far cry from the usual aesthetic. The 43rd edition of the Pirelli calendar will be presented at the Roundhouse in London on Nov. 30, and a digital space is live on Perelli’s website.
“..provocative sexual imagery isn’t the goal. Instead, it’s to celebrate feminist heroines with a group of inspiring female icons who are better known for their brains and accomplishments than their looks, although they are gorgeous too.”

Oh yeah, Pirelli also makes tires.


References:

Pirelli Ofiicial Site
The Pirelli Calendar (official)
Pirelli Calendars: 1963-1973
Pirelli Calendars on Agonistica
Pirelli Calendars: 1964-2007

 

Posted in art | Tagged biker art, garage mechanics, general historical stuff, vintage nudes | Leave a reply

Post navigation

← Previous Post

Viking Cycle Motowear


Charlie's Vintage Kustoms

 


Balkans Burn Videos

 


Bounce to my other blog, TransverseAlchemy.

Notice:

This is a collection of images found online. In some cases there may not be credits to the original artists as they come from random sources.
If your work is on this blog and you want it credited or removed email me with the relevant information.

Popular Posts:

  • J.A. Prestwich Industries- History of the J.A.P.
  • Pulsating Paula / road archives
  • Balkan Motorcycles
  • “Papa Jim” Brewer and the Old Days of the MC’s
  • Pera Baity: Dnepr Model 8.157 Solo
  • fuck it.
  • Harley Graveyard in Lima, Peru
  • The Great Frankenbike Resurrection
  • BB3 Balkans Burn, Part II of III: Giannitsa to Samarina, Greece
  • BB3 Balkans Burn, Part III of III: Samarina to Dambul Morii, Romania
 

Traffic This Month:


1,497
Unique
Visitors
 

archives

  • 2018
    • November 2018
    • September 2018
    • August 2018
    • July 2018
    • April 2018
    • January 2018
  • 2017
    • December 2017
    • November 2017
    • October 2017
    • September 2017
    • August 2017
    • July 2017
    • June 2017
    • May 2017
    • April 2017
    • March 2017
    • February 2017
    • January 2017
  • 2016
    • December 2016
    • November 2016
    • October 2016
    • September 2016
    • August 2016
    • July 2016
    • June 2016
    • May 2016
    • April 2016
    • March 2016
    • February 2016
    • January 2016
  • 2015
    • December 2015
    • November 2015
    • October 2015
    • September 2015
    • August 2015
    • July 2015
    • June 2015
    • May 2015
    • April 2015
    • March 2015
    • February 2015
    • January 2015
  • 2014
    • December 2014
    • November 2014
    • October 2014
    • September 2014
    • August 2014
    • July 2014
    • June 2014
    • May 2014
    • April 2014
    • March 2014
    • February 2014
    • January 2014
  • 2013
    • December 2013
    • November 2013
    • October 2013
    • September 2013
    • August 2013
    • July 2013
    • June 2013
    • May 2013
    • April 2013
    • March 2013
    • February 2013
    • January 2013
  • 2012
    • December 2012
    • November 2012
    • October 2012
    • September 2012
    • August 2012
    • July 2012
    • June 2012
    • May 2012
    • April 2012
    • March 2012
    • February 2012
    • January 2012
  • 2011
    • December 2011
    • November 2011
    • October 2011
    • September 2011
    • August 2011
    • July 2011
    • June 2011
    • May 2011
    • April 2011
    • March 2011
    • February 2011
    • January 2011
  • 2010
    • December 2010
    • November 2010
    • October 2010
    • September 2010
    • August 2010
    • July 2010
    • June 2010
    • May 2010
    • April 2010
> View Full Index
 

More Groovy Shit:

  • bikerMetric
  • The Selvedge Yard
  • MCart
  • Ride the Machine
  • StrangerBlog
  • The 520 Chain Cafe

Tag Cloud

1% patch 1929 Majestic 1949 Moto Major Addams Family airplanes AK47 AMA Americana Ariel Austin-Healey Balkan Motorcycles Balkans Burn Bettie Page betty boop bicycles Big Bear bike wreck biker art biker cats biker flicks Birmingham bitchbitchbitch BMW BMW R7 boats Boozefighters BSA Bugatti Bulgarian Motorcycles bultaco Burt Munro cafe racer carburetors Carlos Nunez Carroll Shelby cats Česká zbrojovka Chang Jiang Chevrolet choppers Christmas Chrysler ciclobureau Cinderella Cart classic cars classic motorcycle Cleveland Motorcycle colors magazine Cossack motorcycles Crocker Cuba Cushman Motor Company custom bikes custom choppers custom trikes CZ motorcycles Czechoslovakia Dacia Dali Dan Genuario Dave Mann David Mann David Uhl Denis Sire DKW Dnepr Dodge Don MacMillan Ed Roth eggyolk Elvira engraving fashionable shit Ferrari Fiat Ford France Frisco garage mechanics Gary Littlejohn general historical stuff George Barris George Frizzell German Motorcycles Gilera Girls on Diggers Grace Slick guns Halloween Harley Davidson Harley WLA Heavy Machinery Heavy Metal helicopter Hells Angels Hollister Honda Hot Rod Art Hot Rod Girl Hot Rods Hungary Hunter S. Thompson IFA Indian Larry Indian Motorcycles Iron Horsemen IZh IZHMASH J.A.P. Engines Jaguar Jaquar Jawa Johnny Cash Jungle Pam junkyard Kawasaki Kettenkrad Lamborghini lambretta Lee Marvin loncin Chinese motorcycle Lost-'n-Found Lowrider Matchless Mausho Lilac Max Corkill Max Grundy Mercedes MGB Minsk motorcycle moto guzzi Motobécane Motorbike beat motorcycle fashion Motordrome Munsters mustang MZ Norton Motorcycles NSU nude nude biker chicks Oakland Oil Outlaw Bikers paint painting Pannonia personal shit photography Pin-Up pinstriping Plymouth Porsche Racing Rallies Rastus rat bike Rat Fink raw pussy Red Baron Revillos riceburners road pics road trip Robert Williams rock'nfuckinroll Rod Scivyer Romania Royal Enfield Russia rust Schneekrad scooter screw drive vehicles Simson Škoda snowmobiles Soviet robots soviet tractor Steve McQueen Strakonice Streamliner Surfer art surrealists Suzuki tank tattoos Tay Herrera trains Triumph Uncategorized Ural vespa vintage advertising Vintage Japanese Motorcycles vintage nudes Viva Van Story- Volkswagon Von Dutch VW bug Wall of Death Xmas yamaha zeppelin Zündapp
©2021 - Flesh & Relics - Weaver Xtreme Theme
↑

 

Notice: This website contains nudity and other adult oriented content which may be considered offensive. You must be over 18 to enter.