Annie Leibovitz adds new portraits to WOMEN

Annie Leibovitz has added a selection of new, UBS-commissioned portraits to her WOMEN collection, first initiated 15 years ago with Susan Sontag. Pictured: Misty Copeland

(Image credit: Annie Leibovitz)

It’s high time WOMEN had an update, really, given everything that’s happened in the last 15 years with regard to roles, expectations and the voice of feminism across the world. And happily, Annie Leibovitz is finally now on the case, thanks to a new collection of photographs commissioned by UBS that will act both as an evolution of the famous WOMEN series of portraits that Leibovitz started with Susan Sontag in 1999, and also reflect the changing roles of women today.

The new photographs are destined to form part of the UBS Art Collection (a corporate collection of contemporary art that to date comprises more than 30,000 works) but only after they have toured the world. After kicking off at London’s Wapping Hydraulic Power Station (formerly the site of The Wapping Project) on 16 January, an exhibition of the portraits will visit ten international cities, from Frankfurt to Tokyo, over the course of 2016.

Women is Leibovitz’s best known and arguably best loved series – with the first collection including portraits of Louis Bourgeois, Hillary Clinton, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Gloria Steinem. Deciding on the subjects to best represent today’s spectrum of female role models can’t have been easy, but Leibovitz has this time turned her lens on Misty Copeland, Alice Waters, Serena and Venus Williams, Jane Goodall, and Amy Schumer. An image of the artist herself with her three daughters is the only image to have been unveiled thus far.

This exhibition will celebrate women affecting a positive change in the world, says Johan Jervøe, global chief marketing officer for UBS. 'Throughout her career Annie has captured the pulse and tenor of contemporary life, creating unique, personal and insightful portraits that have become her trademark,' he explains. 'We want to enable as many people as possible to see and respond to this thought-provoking series and to be inspired to fulfill their own creative practice.'

Portrait of Queen Elizabeth II — Here, Leibovitz is pictured with her portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, in London's Wapping Hydraulic Power Station, where the exhibition is now on show

Portrait of women — When the Wapping residency ends, the portraits will be sent on a year-long world tour, stopping at ten global city destinations including Tokyo, Mexico City, New York and Zurich

The extensive tour stems from UBS' desire to 'enable as many people as possible to see and respond to this thought-provoking series'

Portraits of womens — Each image aims to represent women who have affected positive change – a broad scope incorporating such diverse figures as comedian Amy Schumer to tennis players Serena and Venus Williams

Pictured: Annie Leibovitz in New York City, 2012. *Courtesy the artist*

INFORMATION

’WOMEN: New Portraits’ is on view from 16 January. For information on dates and venues, visit UBS’ website

Henrietta Thompson is a London-based writer, curator, and consultant specialising in design, art and interiors. A longstanding contributor and editor at Wallpaper*, she has spent over 20 years exploring the transformative power of creativity and design on the way we live. She is the author of several books including The Art of Timeless Spaces, and has worked with some of the world’s leading luxury brands, as well as curating major cultural initiatives and design showcases around the world.