ZEISS Art Calendar

ZEISS Art Calendar Book

ZEISS Art Calendar Vol 1

Six years, six photographers, six stories told through photographs of twelve prominent actors are featured in this first edition of the ambitiously designed, large-format book.

With unusual compositions of the highest standards, the ZEISS Art Calendar has caused quite a stir in recent years. Publishing houses specializing in art were drawn to the artistic flair of these photographic productions, which are issued exclusively for customers. This is how the idea for the ZEISS Art Calendar Book Vol 1 came about, which was unveiled in mid-January 2015 at the Haus der Photographie in Hamburg’s Deichtorhallen exhibition center. The book combines all six editions of the company's prestigious photographic art calendar that have been published to date.

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Opera with a Twist

ZEISS Art Calendar

To create the ZEISS Art Calendar 2015, Hollywood photographer Douglas Kirkland brought together two of the world’s most famous opera stars: Cecilia Bartoli and Rolando Villazón.
Kirkland presents the Italian mezzo soprano and the Mexican tenor in photos that reference well-known opera scenes in unusual settings.

Streets, squares and buildings from Mozart’s town of Salzburg provide the backdrop and present the opera in a whole new way.
Connoisseurs will perhaps recognize scenes from the works by Bellini, Bizet, Mozart, Rossini and Wagner in Kirkland’s unique images. The photographer has incorporated allusions to memorable moments.

Press release for the ZEISS Art Calendar

Interview with photographer Douglas Kirkland.

Douglas Kirkland

The Photographer

During the heyday of magazines in the USA, Douglas Kirkland worked for the greats: “Look” and “Life.”

Readers were fascinated by his photo essays from foreign lands, and he invented his own style of fashion photography. Above all, he created memorable portraits of a host of stars, such as Marylin Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, Charlie Chaplin, Richard Burton , Sophia Loren, Audrey Hepburn, Catherine Deneuve, Romy Schneider, Michael Caine, Matt Dillon, Glenn Close, Barbra Streisand, Susan Sarandon, Meryl Streep, George Clooney and Brad Pitt.

But it was the world of moviemaking that particularly appealed to him. Douglas Kirkland has worked on the sets of over 100 movie productions – and witnessed many milestones of cinematic history along the way, including Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, 2001 A Space Odyssey, Out of Africa, Moulin Rouge and Titanic.

International exhibitions and book projects have made Douglas Kirkland's work accessible to a large audience. This artist from Toronto has received numerous awards for his work.

Now, for the 2015 ZEISS Art Calendar, Kirkland turns to the world of grand opera. He will stage the story for the next edition of the coveted calendar, featuring two international stars from the operatic stage, in the city of Mozart during the Salzburg Festival 2014.

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The Art Calendar Models

Cecilia Bartoli

She has been considered one of the world's leading opera singers for many years: Cecilia Bartoli. This mezzo soprano is one of the most popular artists in her field. Her solo recordings are among the biggest-selling classical music albums.

The Roman singer has received prestigious awards all over the world – including several Grammy (USA) and ECHO Klassik (Germany) accolades. The pillars of her repertoire are operas from Bellini, Händel, Mozart, Puccini, Rossini and Verdi. She also selects work from lesser-known composers for her concert performances and song recordings. Cecilia Bartoli has also been artistic director of the Salzburg Whitsun Festival since 2012.

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Rolando Villazón

Rolando Villazón is one of most prominent and popular opera singers of the modern world. The Mexican star tenor is a regular guest at the world’s most prestigious opera theaters, such as the Salzburg Festival, the Metropolitan Opera, the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden and the State Operas in Munich, Vienna and Berlin.

He is also a celebrated concert singer who is at home in all the major concert halls around the world. His many CDs were all bestsellers and have been honored by many international juries.
Rolando Villazón is one of the world’s most versatile artists today. His debut novel “Kunststücke” (“Artworks”) was published in Spain in 2013, and then in France and Germany in 2014. The artist is a successful opera signer and regularly moderates German, French and English TV productions.

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Impressions

From Photo Shoot to Finished Calendar

The making-of for the ZEISS Art Calendar 2015.

Browse the ZEISS Art Calendar 2015.

ZEISS Art Calendar Archives

Issues: 2009 to 2014

Moments in the City

For the ZEISS Art Calendar 2014, Mary McCartney captured fascinating images of New York. With her unique, expressive imagery, the famous photographer accompanies a couple who experience some very special moments together. In Manhattan they wallow in the magic of the city: they combine their own personal world with the charm of top sites and locations in the Big Apple. The protagonists are Hollywood stars Alec Baldwin and Gemma Arterton.

"IMAGINATION"

Love inspires our imagination to new flights of fantasy. And when it is confronted with separation, affection is often tinged with melancholy. This multilayered complexity is impressively conveyed by Michel Comte’s multiple exposures in the ZEISS Art Calendar 2013 . The photos invite the observer to dive into this diversity and unravel the secret that they embody. New impressions are gained every time the photos are viewed.

Complementing Moments

The 2012 calendar sets trends: reduced in color to almost totally black-and-white images, with the alluring charm of classical photography and the appealing wit of young, international stars. Ellen von Unwerth, the top fashion photographer who lives in Paris, based Complementing Moments in her favorite city: stories full of enthusiasm, passion and empathy in unusual settings. American Oscar winner Adrien Brody meets international top model Toni Garrn, whose roots are in Hamburg.

Bryan Adams turns tall and short upside down

Rock star Bryan Adams is also a popular photographer. Actor Michael J. Fox and supermodel Tatjana Patitz put a new twist on tall and short in New York City in the ZEISS Art Calendar 2011.

Wim Wenders and the Palace of the Republic

Set against the ruins of the Palace of the Republic in Berlin, the 2009 calendar depicted a love story in a doomed world told by top director Wim Wenders and Hollywood stars William Dafoe and Amber Valletta.

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