The Pirelli Calendar 2026 has been released » Provocative images of Irina Shayk and the hottest models in the world

According to Pirelli, the 2026 calendar was created in April at Holkham Beach in Norfolk and the Essex countryside, where Solve Sundsbo captured images from nature, then continued the project in studios in London and New York.

The Pirelli Calendar 2026 has been launched

“The calendar goes beyond the traditional four elements. I didn't want to be too literal, I wanted to capture emotions, instincts and moods essential to human existence, the desire for freedom, curiosity, thirst for knowledge. And of course mystery, imagination, passion, the desire for emancipation, the connection with nature and our relationship with time and space. It's a way to reconnect with our origins. They may be ambitious goals, but I felt the need to explore them”, explains the director.

What a wonderful day in Prague! I feel honored and grateful to be surrounded by incredible women at the Pirelli calendar launch press conference. A dream come true.

– Irina Shayk

The cast includes 11 women from the worlds of film, fashion, sports and music:

• Tilda Swinton – Scottish actress
• Gwendoline Christie – British actress
• FKA twigs – British singer and songwriter
• Isabella Rossellini – Italian-American actress and director
• Venus Williams – American tennis champion
• Susie Cave – British fashion designer and model
• Luisa Ranieri – Italian actress
• Irina Shayk – model of Russian origin
• Du Juan – Chinese model and actress
• Eva Herzigova – Czech model
• Adria Arjona – actress of Puerto Rican origin

I wanted to photograph women who exude strength and depth. Women I deeply respect for what they stand for. Some I've wanted to photograph for a long time, and others I've captured in the past and wanted to rediscover

– Solve Sundsbo

History of the Pirelli Calendar

The calendar was created as an exclusive project of Pirelli UK Limited, the British subsidiary of the Pirelli Group, who worked on the project with great autonomy.

In 1964, the British team, looking for a marketing strategy to differentiate itself from the domestic competition, assigned the art director Derek Forsyth and the British photographer Robert Freeman, famous for his portraits of the Beatles, to produce a project that was completely innovative for the time.

• The first decade, from 1964 to 1974, followed by a nine-year hiatus due to the world recession
• The second decade, from 1984 to 1994, when the Calendar makes a comeback and gradually regains its notoriety
• Between 1994 and 2015, the period in which The Cal™ achieves cult status
• From 2016 to the present, the Calendar, always in the vanguard, captures new sensibilities associated with cultural and aesthetic changes

Solve Sundsbo, author of the Pirelli Calendar 2026

Solve Sundsbo has established herself as one of the most influential image creators of the contemporary world.

Norwegian photographer and director Solve Sundsbo. Photo: TheCal Pirelli

“Throughout his career, he has created some of the most memorable images of recent years, standing out for his unconventional vision and imaginative concepts that invite the viewer to question their perception of reality and push the boundaries of fashion beyond classic photography,” notes the Pirelli website.

Born in Norway in 1970, Solve Sundsbo moved to London in 1995 to study photography at the London College of Printing. Although he still lives in London with his wife and four children, his native country remains a constant source of inspiration for him. The clean and natural Norwegian aesthetic is often reflected in his images.