Behind the scenes of the Pirelli Calendar 2024, starring Naomi Campbell and Angela Bassett
The hotly anticipated 2024 Pirelli Calendar has been unveiled, and this year’s talent includes major names like Naomi Campbell, Idris Elba, Angela Bassett and poet Amanda Gorman.
With creative force and self-taught artist Prince Gyasi leading the vision, the theme of this year’s edition is “timelessness,” and the images are brimming with pops of color true to the artist’s creative DNA.
“If you talk about timelessness, I have to redefine it,” Prince Gyasi, 28, exclusively told Page Six Style.
“It doesn’t matter how old I am, it’s about the quality of my work. It’s important that Pirelli chose an artist and not just a photographer. Anybody can be a photographer, but not everybody can be an artist.”
Idris Elba is also among this year’s star-studded cast.Alessandro Scotti for Pirelli 2024 Calendar Self-taught artist Prince Gyasi makes history as the first black photographer for “The Cal.”Alessandro Scotti for Pirelli 2024 Calendar
The 50th edition of the calendar also features Afrobeats star Tiwa Savage, Margot Lee Shetterly, Jeymes Samuel, Teyana Taylor, Amoako Boafo and Marcel Desailly.
But to the photographer, perhaps the most significant star gracing the 2024 edition is Campbell, 53, who is no stranger to the cameras — or the calendar.
The iconic supermodel appeared in Pirelli’s calendars four times prior in 1987, 1995, 2005 and 2018.
“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” star Angela Bassett photographed behind the scenes.Alessandro Scotti for Pirelli 2024 Calendar
Before earning her stripes as one of the most successful models in the world, she posed topless for Pirelli in 1987 at just 16 years of age.
Other talent featured in “The Cal” includes King Otumfuo Osei Tutu II.
The royal got involved in the shoot to mark the 25th anniversary celebration of the Ashanti Kingdom under his reign.
Former French soccer star Marcel Desailly photographed by Prince Gyasi.Alessandro Scotti for Pirelli 2024 Calendar Poet Amanda Gorman photographed by Prince Gyasi for the 2024 Pirelli Calendar.Alessandro Scotti for Pirelli 2024 Calendar
“Selecting the talent for this was very difficult because I have a lot of friends who best fit the category of timelessness,” Gyasi tells us. “But I had to go back to my childhood and think about who I grew up seeing, who I met during my journey, and who was genuine.”
“I looked at things from a wide scope and saw that this person played this particular role in my life so I wanted to see who was available to be part of the calendar. At the end of the day, it can be anyone, but they have to be willing to do it too,” he adds.
Known for the impressive manipulation of color in his work, Ghana-born artist Gyasi made a point to illustrate his signature style in Pirelli’s 2024 shoot.
The theme of 2024’s issue, which is the 50th edition of the calendar, is “timelessness.”Alessandro Scotti for Pirelli 2024 Calendar “The Cal” also features King Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, who celebrates the 25th anniversary of the Ashanti Kingdom under his reign.Alessandro Scotti for Pirelli 2024 Calendar
“When it comes to color, it’s about how I see them and what they represent. It’s also about what I see when I hear their name,” he shares.
“With Idris [Elba], the photoshoot was like shooting a movie. With Naomi [Campbell], it was more about what she represents as a person through her journey, rather than the color I see her in. It’s easier when I have a relationship with them.”
“Naomi for example I already had a relationship with,” he adds. “She gave me my first magazine cover. Idris is like my big brother, and most of them I know. It’s like a family.”
Margot Lee Shetterly and Amanda Gorman photographed by Prince Gyasi for the 2024 Pirelli Calendar.Alessandro Scotti for Pirelli 2024 Calendar The shoot took place in both London and on Gyasi’s home soil in Accra, Ghana.Alessandro Scotti for Pirelli 2024 Calendar
Known as “The Cal,” the Pirelli calendar started in 1964 and was once synonymous with sexy shots of nude models.
It’s since strayed away from its roots and instead adopted a more subtle approach in the mid-2010s.
This year’s calendar also makes history, with Prince Gyasi becoming the first-ever black photographer to be selected for the commission.
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“Being the photographer for this Pirelli shoot means that I’ll be able to enlarge and increase the intensity of the message that I have been trying to send for the last few years,” he says.
“So to do it on a large scale like this is an honor. I come from a place where there’s a variety of ethnicities and traditions and social issues, so as an artist I have to think about what I’m saying to the youth.”
Snapped in both London and on Gyasi’s home soil in Accra, Ghana, the shoot focused on the beauty of Gyasi’s hometown.
Campbell, pictured on set, appeared in Pirelli’s calendars four times prior in 1987, 1995, 2005 and 2018.Alessandro Scotti for Pirelli 2024 Calendar The shoot is true to Prince Gyasi’s signature style and manipulation of color.Alessandro Scotti for Pirelli 2024 Calendar
“It was really important for me to shoot a part of it back home in Ghana because at the end of the day I’m from there, and it’s better to do meaningful things back home,” he says. “You feel more free.”
Adds Gyasi, “Shooting back home gave me more creative freedom. It was very interesting to see such a big production on the ground. I wanted it to be in the history books that Pirelli did a shoot in Ghana. It was important for me to convey that message to the industry.”
The 2024 Pirelli Calendar will be released later this year.
