Annie Leibovitz

Annie Leibovitz is a celebrated American portrait photographer known for her iconic and often intimate celebrity portraits, capturing the essence of her subjects for major publications and international campaigns. Her work has redefined celebrity photography and earned her recognition as a Living Legend by the Library of Congress. After her early photographs from Israel and an iconic image of Allen Ginsberg at a San Francisco peace march secured her a position at Rolling Stone magazine in 1970, Annie Leibovitz quickly rose to prominence, becoming the publication’s chief photographer by 1973. She held this influential role for ten years, until 1983, during which her distinctive, intimate celebrity portraits redefined the magazine’s visual identity.

A pivotal moment came on December 8, 1980, when she photographed John Lennon and Yoko Ono for a Rolling Stone cover, just hours before Lennon’s murder, creating one of the magazine’s most famous and poignant images. Her extensive work also included documenting The Rolling Stones’ Tour of the Americas ’75, yielding a notable image of Mick Jagger. In 1983, Leibovitz transitioned to Vanity Fair magazine, further cementing her status as a leading portraitist for prominent publications, where she continues to contribute regularly alongside Vogue. Her influential commercial work includes an international advertising campaign for American Express charge cards in 1987, which earned a prestigious Clio award.

Her 2019 exhibition, ‘The Early Years, 1970–1983: Archive Project No. 1,’ at Hauser & Wirth Gallery revisited her foundational work. Most recently, Leibovitz was commissioned by IKEA to create a series of 25 portraits in 2023, and is slated to produce portraits for the television series ‘The Chosen’ in 2025.