Annie Leibovitz
Born in 1949 · United States
The portrait as a cultural stage.
The story
Annie Leibovitz began working for Rolling Stone in the early 1970s. Her portraits of musicians, actors and public figures subsequently took a major place in the illustrated press. Her work ranges from close observation to elaborate lighting and staged arrangements. An image can become emblematic through its composition, but also through the subject’s story and the moment of its publication.
Understanding the work
Identify the choices of setting, pose and props. Ask what the portrait borrows from the person’s public image and what it seeks to shift.
Key works and series
John Lennon and Yoko Ono; portraits for Rolling Stone and Vanity Fair; Women.
