Annie Leibovitz

"Annie Leibovitz (1949- ) is best known for her portraits of celebrities, who range from political figures to musicians and athletes. Her work has included magazine, fashion, and advertising photography, Many of Leibovitz's portraits of rock music celebrities have become signature images. A notable example is her portrait of the nude John Lennon on a bed with his fully clothed wife, Yoko Ono, the last portrait of Lennon before his death in 1980.
Born in westport Connecticut, Leibovitz received a Bachelor in Fine Arts from the San Francisco Art Institute in 1971. She subsequently continued her studies with photographer Ralph Gibson. In 1969 she lived on a kibbutz in Israel and participated in an archeological dig at the site of King Solomans Temple. From 1970 to 1983 she was a freelance photographer and the chief photographer for the Rolling Stones magazine, and in the early 1990's she founded the Annie Leibovitz Studio in New York City.
Like portrait photographer Arnold Newman, Leibovitx has contrived her work to emphasize some aspect of each subjects public persona. Using the whole of the subjects body, typically captured in the midst of physical action, Leibovitz achieves her effects without apparents artificiality and with flair--often outreageous--that sets her work apart from that of other portrait artists. Leibovitz's advertising work, to which she brings a similar freshness and drama, has attracted many important clients. Three of Leibovitz's exhibitions have toured the United States and Europe. Two were organized be the Sidney Janis Gallery(1983-1985 and 1986-1989), and the National Portrait Gallery of Washington D.C., honored her in 1991 with a retrospective that subsequently toured the United States, Europe, and Asia. Her awards include the American Society of Magazine photographers, Photographer of the Year award.(1984); the Innovation of Photography Award(1987); the Clio Award and the campaign of the decade Award from Advertising Age magazine, and the infinity award for applied photography from the International Center of Photography(1990),"