The return of nudity
First images from the 2025 Pirelli calendar
For 60 years, "The Cal", Pirelli's legendary calendar, has set the pace for the zeitgeist. The 51st edition represents a rebirth of nudes - albeit in a contemporary, non-sexualized form. As usual, the calendar has nothing to do with cars.
Marco Tronchetti Provera, Executive Vice Chairman of Pirelli and the soul of "The Cal" for 30 years, had a short but precise answer when asked about the significance of the 2025 calendar. "Ethan James Green's calendar shows that even in these difficult times, we are surrounded by beauty and dignity."
It's okay to go naked again
The 76-year-old doyen of the tire giant got to the heart of the matter. Even though Ethan James Green, highly decorated fashion and portrait photographer from New York City, has ensured the return of nudity in the 51st edition of the Pirelli calendar, each of the 24 images reflects the careful treatment of the individual and their invisible boundaries.
No image appears intrusive or indiscreet; the beauty of human existence in all its diversity is captured in an impressive way. A calendar as artful proof that "MeToo" and other emancipatory movements, for example against body shaming, i.e. the disparagement of body shapes other than the model norm, have ultimately led to a social learning curve.
Whether old or young, flawless or scarred, male or female: Green's shots of people as diverse as Padma Lakshmi, author, TV presenter and model and ex-wife of Salman Rushdie, the French actor Vincent Cassel ("Ocean's 12" and "Ocean's 13", "Public Enemy No. 1", "The Three Musketeers"), or the British actor John Boyega ("Star Wars" trilogy "Pacific Rim - Uprising") show grace, dignity and beauty.
"MeToo has nothing to do with nudity"
Padma Lakshmi places the work on the Pirelli calendar in a social context. "The MeToo movement has nothing to do with nudity. It fights coercion and demands consent. Once that has been clarified, anything is possible. It's not about nudity or anything like that. It's just about depriving someone of their free will. That's the flaw in the thinking. It's not even about sex. It's about coercion."
Green's models were also free to decide how much of themselves they wanted to reveal. A wide variety of flotsam and jetsam, such as driftwood or washed-up palm fronds, also served as "clothing" during the shoot in Miami. Green, who is the third artist after Prince Gyasi (2024) and Bryan Adams (2022) to be represented as a motif in the calendar, also alternates between black and white and color shots, quoting the body language of ancient sculptures as well as dance photography and classical nudes.
The result is a grab bag of beauty. Green and his team put the grace of the individual in the spotlight, whether classically - i.e. normatively - "beautiful" or not. This is not only a celebration of aesthetics, but also a reminder not to lose sight of the uniqueness of the individual in these complex and crisis-ridden times.
"Refresh and Reveal" is the motto of "The Cal" this year. Refreshed, the Pirelli calendar reveals naked skin again, but sets new standards in the way it does so. Also in terms of the photographer's physical commitment. When asked about his motivation for stripping off for his own calendar, Green says: "We had trouble finding a man. There were two others, but they probably didn't want to show themselves completely naked. As many women were willing to do this, I wanted to make sure that at least one man would take part."
Other models in this year's calendar are: Simone Ashley (British actress), Elodie (Italian actress, singer and model), Connie Fleming (US model and fashion illustrator) Martine Gutierrez (US artist), Hoyeon (South Korean actress), Hunter Schafer (US actress and activist) Jenny Shimizu (US model) and Jodie Turner-Smith (British actress).
11,000 copies of the collector's item were printed this year. They are still not for sale and will only go to selected friends and customers.(Daniel Killy/SPX)
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