Annie Leibovitz – A photographer’s Life, 1990-2005 is an exhibition that’s still on in the National Portrait Gallery in London and ends on February 1st.
I saw this a good few weeks back and for a woman most famous for her pictures of celebrities, the main story this exhibition tells is that of her personal life and what seems her complicated relationship with Susan Sontag. The really famous Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair and other photos of celebs in odd poses are there and are terribly beautiful up close but the ones that probably carry more power are those taken of a dying and dead Sontag juxtaposed with pics of their three kids. There are also ones that Sontag took of a heavily pregnant Leibovitz and ones Annie took of her family.
Some of the people that came along obviously came along to do a bit of celeb spotting but probably went away the richer after being brought further than that to share the intimacy of the life of someone that produced works that became so public.
Well worth a visit in London or whever it moves to next.
Have to agree. I saw this last summer in Paris and I definitely went for the celeb spotting. The celeb shots are beautiful. But the personal photos were a surprise and very thought provoking. Would highly recommend it.
Annie is my favourite photographer of all time – I’m so excited to go and see this.