Always of interest worldwide, the 2026 Pirelli Calendar, created by Norwegian photographer and director Sølve Sundsbø, was unveiled recently at the Municipal House in Prague, Czech Republic.
Now in its 52nd edition, the tiremaker’s latest version of “The Cal” explores the connection between humans and nature. Its protagonists are portrayed as symbolic embodiments of natural elements—earth, air, fire and water—as well as more intangible forces, such as energy, ether and light.
“The calendar goes beyond the traditional four elements,” says Sundsbø. “I didn’t want to be too literal. I wanted to capture emotions, instincts and states of mind that are central to human life. The desire for freedom, curiosity, the thirst for knowledge—I guess we can call it that. A kind of mystery, imagination, passion. The desire for emancipation, the bond with nature and our relationship with time and space. It’s a way of connecting us to where we come from. Ambitious goals, but I wanted to give it a try.”
Sundsbø began shooting in April at Holkham Beach in Norfolk and in the Essex countryside to capture images of nature before continuing in studios in London and New York. As a passionate technophile and experimenter, he used giant LED screens to recreate the natural images he had “harvested”—of sunsets, clouds, fire and water—as backdrops for the protagonists of his project.
Mature Women With Experience & Depth
Each character interpreted an element, contributing to the creation of their portrait alongside the photographer, who captured their emotions and unique physical traits.
“I wanted to photograph mature women with experience and depth—women I deeply respect for what they represent,” says Sundsbø of his choice of protagonists. “Some I had long wanted to photograph; others are faces I had already portrayed and wanted to reinterpret.”
The 22 photographs that make up the calendar feature 11 women from the worlds of film, fashion, sports and music:
- Scottish actress Tilda Swinton
- British actress Gwendoline Christie
- British singer-songwriter FKA twigs
- Italian American actress and filmmaker Isabella Rossellini
- American tennis champion Venus Williams
- British fashion designer and model Susie Cave (previously featured in Helmut Newton’s 1986 Pirelli Calendar, which was presented in 2014, and Clive Arrowsmith’s 1991 edition),
- Italian actress Luisa Ranieri
- Russian-born model Irina Shayk
- Chinese model and actress Du Juan (featured in Patrick Demarchelier’s 2008 Calendar)
- Czech model Eva Herzigová (featured in Peter Lindbergh’s 1996 and Bruce Weber’s 1998 editions)
- Puerto Rico-born actress Adria Arjona