The best pictures from the Calendario Pirelli, from its birth till now, take center stage at Palazzo Reale, Milan. The exhibition “Forma e Desiderio. The Cal – Collezione Pirelli” will present more than 200 representative shots to the public from November 21st, 2014 to February 22nd, 2015. The show has been created to explain social and cultural changes with the aid of these renowned stills. Considered by many a cult item, the calendar interprets many of the facts that have revolutionized modern society and that have anticipated trends by following the inspiration from some of the most revered contemporary photographers. The list is long and full of names such as Herb Ritts, Richard Avedon, Peter Lindberg, Bruce Weber, Peter Beard, Steve McCurry, Patrick Demarchelier, Steven Meisel, Mario Testino, and Mario Sorrenti. It is outstanding: after 50 years, these photos have become part of the collective consciousness, and now, they can all be admired thanks to a comprehensive installation. The leitmotiv is not time, but rather a thematic itinerary. Forma e Desiderio (Form & Desire) is not a chronological offering of the prints, but it culls them together according to their relations, analogies, quotations and juxtapositions. The journey will take the visitor through 5 rooms with common themes: from seduction to provocation, from myth to elegance. The Pirelli was introduced in 1964, and this year’s edition, curated by Steven Meisel, marks its 40th anniversary. This is definitely a not-to-be-missed happening and the biggest of its kind after the retrospective curated by architect Gae Aulenti in 1997 hosted in the Cariatidi hall at Palazzo Reale and at Palazzo Grassi in Venice. After that, the collection toured the world – Paris, Berlin, Moscow, Buenos Aires and Tokyo. 17 years later, we can once again marvel at such photography excellence.

Form and Desire The Cal –Pirelli Collection

Milan, Palazzo Reale

21 November 2014 – 01 March 2015

www.mostrathecalpirelli.it

Entrance: full ticket 10 euro, reduced 8.50 euro.