The wait is over – the subjects of Annie Leibovitz’s new exhibition Women: New Portraits have finally been revealed. Featuring some of today’s most well-known and influential women, the iconic photographer known for her incredible "celebrity" portraits continues to build on Women – her monumental body of work published nearly two decades ago.
The 22 new images include portraits of Caitlyn Jenner – taken from the notorious Vanity Fair cover shoot, Gloria Steinem – pictured in her home office, Lena Dunham – captured outside an abandoned building, Adele – photographed sitting in front of a piano, Laura Poitras – displayed on a stage, Amy Schumer and Kim Caramele – portrayed sitting in a messy kitchen and Misty Copeland – shown en pointe in front of a white canvas backdrop.
Blank spaces have also been left for upcoming pictures of Malala, Serena and Venus Williams and Marina Abramović, their names displayed on hand-written notes. When asked if she felt anyone was missing from the series, Leibovitz revealed that she is “trying hard” to get Angela Merkel to join the collection.
“I’m just astounded by the different world that is in each one,” says Gloria Steinem, who was a surprise speaker at the exhibition’s preview. “It’s always Annie’s eye, you know, I think she’s often been able to go off and do whole scenes and photograph unusual people because she’s doing her own work rather than being assigned.”
The original project started in 1999 in collaboration with Susan Sontag and included both famous and non-famous women that the duo found influential. The new series is set to continue along these lines and is a work in progress – it will evolve over the course of the next twelve months as Leibovitz photographs women in each of the cities the exhibition tours.
The exhibition is on display in London at the Wapping Hydraulic Power Station 16 January – 7 February. It will carry on to tour ten cities worldwide (Tokyo, San Francisco, Singapore, Hong Kong, Mexico City, Istanbul, Frankfurt, New York and Zurich).
