Annie Leibovitz is one of the world’s most influential photographers, best known for her engaging celebrity portraits. Her portfolio stretches from stars, to literary icons, to politicians and members of royal families. She also notably immortalized the last image of John Lennon and Yoko Ono before Lennon’s death.
Born in 1948 in Connecticut, she first aimed to become an art teacher and studied painting at the San Francisco Art Institute, before switching to photography. While still in school, the creator of Rolling Stone magazine noticed her talent in 1970 and hired her as a contributing photographer. Within a few years, she became the first woman to be named chief photographer.
She had already shot more than 140 covers by the time she decided to join Vanity Fair in 1983. This mainstream Conde Nast publication also provided her with artistic freedom, but unlike her previous position, financial resources allowed her to be more experimental.
“One of the reasons that I went to Vanity Fair was that I knew I would have a broader range of subjects – writers, dancers, artists and musicians of all kinds. And I wanted to learn about glamour…But in the same way that I’d had to find my own way of reportage, I had to find my own form of glamour,” she explained.
Over the years she has been able to carve out her “own form of glamour” and bridges commercial and fine art in a unique manner. She captures the essence of a moment, often presenting an alternative vision of it with bold colors and poses and has the ability to exaggerate and celebrate the characteristics of her subjects at the same time.
Also working for Vogue and on advertising campaigns, she has produced some of the most iconic images, starring legends like The Rolling Stones, Keith Haring, Elton John, Sean Connery, Demi Moore, Queen Elizabeth, Serena Williams, Bill Gates, Bob Dylan, and many others.
Her art has also been exhibited at museums and galleries around the world and received numerous awards. In 1991, she became the first woman to have a solo exhibition at Washington’s National Portrait Gallery. With a career spanning over more than five decades, she has been able to shine just as brightly as the subjects she captures.