Behind the Scenes: 2026 Pirelli Calendar Photographed by Sølve Sundsbø

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Venus Williams

“I have been known to stand outside in the middle of the night in the rain, looking at a thunderstorm, for too long,” confesses Norway-born, London-based photographer and filmmaker Sølve Sundsbø.

“I love that Romantic idea – explored by 19th-century painters like Caspar David Friedrich – of the connection between humans and nature. I guess we can call it some kind of mystery, imagination, passion, the desire for emancipation, and our relationship with time and space.”

It’s this connection that inspires Sundsbø’s 2026 take on the Pirelli Calendar. He started by creating a framework for his concept around the “elements” – in particular earth, water, air, fire and ether, along with other aspects of nature. “I don’t believe in being too literal,” says Sundsbø. “The Calendar isn’t really about earth, wind, fire, water; it’s a way of connecting us to where we come from.”
The cast is international and made up of women ranging in age from their 30s to their 70s, from the worlds of film, fashion, sport and music.

Academy Award-winner Tilda Swinton, Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter FKA twigs, Academy Award-nominated actress, model and conservationist Isabella Rossellini and multiple Grand Slam-winning tennis player and Olympic gold medallist Venus Williams (who makes her Calendar debut following her sister Serena Williams’ appearance in the 2016 Calendar) are among the women featured.

“Crucially they are all women, not young models,” says Sundsbø of those selected for the upcoming Cal, which was shot in June and July. “They are experienced, grown-up people whom I deeply respect for what they do. Some I wanted to meet and photograph for the first time. Others I have worked with before and wanted to photograph again. It was a bit like: ‘Who would you like to have round for dinner?’”

The cast also includes former model and fashion designer Susie Cave (who previously appeared in Clive Arrowsmith’s 1991 Calendar and Helmut Newton’s Calendar shot in 1986 and presented in 2014), Italian actress and The Hand of God star Luisa Ranieri, Emmy-nominated Game of Thrones star Gwendoline Christie, Russian fashion model and cover star Irina Shayk, Chinese model and actress Du Juan (who appeared in the 2008 Pirelli Cal shot by Patrick Demarchelier), Czech supermodel Eva Herzigová (previously featured in the 1996 Pirelli Cal shot by Peter Lindbergh and 1998 Cal by Bruce Weber) and Puerto Rican actress and Andor star Adria Arjona.

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Irina Shayk

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Du Juan

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Eva Herzigova

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Gwendoline Christie

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Isabella Rossellini

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Tilda Swinton

[Photo Credit:  Alessandro Scotti]

• Alessandro Scotti
• Du Juan
• Eva Herzigova
• Gwendoline Christie
• Isabella Rossellini
• Pirelli
• Sølve Sundsbø
• Tilda Swinton
• Venus Williams