The 52nd edition of the Pirelli calendar is a mixed bag. It fuses nature with technology, the purest with the artificial. “It combines the digital world with the most primitive body structure. It is extremely ancient and futuristic at the same time,” says Czech top model Eva Herzigova (52) in the video of the doing of to describe the photographer responsible for the 2026 almanac, Sølve Sundsbø (54 years old). The Norwegian’s desire to combine tradition and innovation comes everywhere, even in the background of the calendar pages. On the one hand there is the nudity of the models that characterized him at the beginning: there are breasts and asses exposed, but treated with an elegance far from those images of the late twentieth century when the expectation for the almanac was above all to see the flesh. And, on the other hand, he has made such decisions that none of the 11 women representing the months of 2026 – yes, that’s 11, not 12 – is under 33, which, in an industry like fashion, is still a novelty. “I wanted to photograph mature women, with experience and depth,” explains Sundsbø.
Unlike the previous two years, in which the exclusive calendar also known as The Cal featured male faces such as Idris Elba (in 2024) or John Boyega (in 2025), for this new edition the photographer only had a female cast. Herzigova, who has now made three appearances in the Pirelli calendar, was accompanied by fellow models Irina Shayk (39 years old) and Du Juan (43); the actresses Tilda Swinton (65), Isabella Rossellini (73), Luisa Ranieri (51), Gwendoline Christie (47) and Adria Arjona (33); the stylist Susie Cave —59 years old and wife of Nick Cave, for whom it is also the third time in the almanac—, the singer FKA Twigs (37) and the tennis star Venus Williams (45).
“I am this year’s contestant and I wanted to be the best photo,” says Williams during the official presentation of the calendar, held on November 13 in a luxury hotel in Prague – and which will close this Friday with a gala dinner at the Municipal House of the Czech capital. “When I left the session I thought maybe I had made it, but I saw the other photos and these women are amazing. I thought, “They’re so good.” It’s nice to be in such good company and work with photographers who leave you speechless,” she says, smiling. It’s been less than two months since the tennis player, the only athlete in the running this year, married the Italian model Andrea Preti, but she admits that she didn’t need his expert advice to approach the photo shoot with ease. “I don’t always tell him what I’m doing,” she says, laughing, “even though he definitely knows what to do in front of the camera. “That’s for sure.”
The almanac revolves around the natural elements (earth, air, fire and water) and other immaterial forces of nature, such as energy, ether or light. Sundsbø’s aim was for each woman to represent one of those elements, whether by diving into the water, rolling in the sand or allowing herself to be targeted by powerful fans. The photography sessions began in April on Holkham Beach, Norfolk and the Essex countryside, capturing images of nature before moving to studios in London and New York. Passionate about technology and experimentation, he used giant LED screens to recreate natural images of sunsets or clouds previously captured as backgrounds for the protagonists of his project. Williams, for example, is fire, and Christie, known for her roles in game of Thrones OR Wednesdaysomething abstract like the ether. “He presented it to me as the element that connects everything. And for me everything that conveys unity in our world is profoundly important”, defines the interpreter.
Christie said in a recent interview that for years he had heard that he would not get opportunities on the screen because “too tall (she is 1.91 years old), too different and too unconventional”. Now it’s those same characteristics that open doors for her, like walking through Margiela or being part of this calendar. The fact that the photographer included faces like hers, that of Tilda Swinton or FKA Twigs, beauties that deviate from classic standards, shows that something is changing. “It’s amazing, isn’t it?” Christie tells EL PAÍS. “I was born in a beautiful time, in a time of change. We are seeing a greater acceptance of difference, a more diverse and inclusive view of beauty, an examination of our legacy systems, a challenge to everything. But that journey is still not easy. We continue to live in a very conventional society. Not everyone can see that everyone deserves beauty. So the challenge is not over for me,” he says.
Sundsbø may not be as famous as other legendary photographers who covered The Cal – Annie Leibovitz, Peter Lindbergh, Steven Meisel, Karl Lagerfeld, Bryan Adams… – but his work is well known. He has collaborated with all the big fashion brands, from Chanel or Giorgio Armani to Gucci or Louis Vuitton, and has created pioneering covers for countless magazines. He put George Clooney and Brad Pitt up to their chests in water in his stunning cover of GQ in 2024 and this time he went further by introducing Herzigova completely into a tub full of water for his almanac page: This year they are interchangeable for use in any month of the year, so it doesn’t matter that there are 11. “It was a lesson in abandonment, in simply living in the moment. I couldn’t control anything. The hair floated, the arms floated, the makeup melted. But I trusted him completely, I knew he would capture the feminine essence and would have captured her,” says the supermodel, proud that this year’s presentation will take place in her home country.
Russian model Irina Shayk also flew to Prague and, dressed in an extraordinary low-waisted outfit by Spanish designer Luis de Javier, was the one who caught the most attention in the previous presentation. Curious eyes and mobile cameras continuously peeked through the curtains that covered the space dedicated to her. “Girl, when I look in the mirror every morning, I think, ‘It’s time to go to the gym and get in shape,'” she jokes to reporters, even though I wait and the studied pose chosen for the occasion highlights her perfectly toned arms and belly. In 2025, Shayk returned to modeling for Victoria’s Secret for the third time. She says that posing for the Pirelli calendar – where she embodies the wind, what connects with its positive energy, freshness and freedom – was another of her unfinished dreams and celebrates it as an example of openness. “I feel like it’s a big step forward in terms of inclusion and unity, and that’s what we see on the catwalk too: we celebrate women of different ages. It’s very inspiring to see that in the fashion industry we finally celebrate all women, because we are beautiful at 20, 40, 70 and even 90,” she emphasizes.
Defining beauty is difficult for Sundsbø. According to him it should be “interesting and a little challenging”. “Sometimes it’s something you don’t perceive right away, but that grows over time,” he reflects. In his calendar – which is never put up for sale, only an unknown number of copies are distributed – that is, on every page. Its goal is to “explore the connection between the human being and nature”, but also the connection between each of its protagonists despite their obvious differences, which is ultimately what unifies them. “I made a list of people I’d like to photograph. And most of them are on the calendar,” he says.
—And if the year had been longer, who else would you have wanted to include?
—Oh, this is unfair! – he replies with a wink. There are so many people I would have included… but I can’t say any names.
The idea is exactly this: it could be anyone.
