Pirelli releases calendar shot by Newton in 1986

ISTANBUL

This photo is January portrait of the 2014 Pirelli calendar taken by Helmut Newton. The 2014 edition features posthumously unseen photographs.

The Pirelli calendar traditionally sees a new photographer take sensual photos of some of the world’s top supermodels. But for its 50th anniversary edition, the brand has turned to its archives instead, Daily Mail has reported.

Rather than commission a contemporary set of photographs, Pirelli is issuing a 1986 unpublished calendar shot by the late Helmut Newton. The calendar, which was launched on Nov. 21 in Milan, features models Susie Bick, Betty Prado, and former Armani muse Antonia Dell’Atte.

The Pirelli Foundation restored 12 of Newton’s black and white fine art shots for the calendar, which were photographed at the 1985 Monaco Grand Prix and at the lush Podere Terreno wine estate in Chianti, Tuscany.

Remained under wraps for 30 years

Newton’s calendar remained under wraps for nearly 30 years, as the famous photographer (who passed away in 2004 at a car accident) had to step down at its close ‘due to personal problems,’ according to a Pirelli-issued release.

To celebrate its calendar’s 50th anniversary, Pirelli will also stage a retrospective that includes more than 160 of the project’s more iconic images, taken by over 30 photographers, according to the Daily Mail.

It will open to the public at the Pirelli-supported Hangar Bicocca cultural center in Milan on Nov. 23 and will run through the end of the weekend.