When beauty goes back to basics
The 2026 Pirelli Calendar goes back to what transcends us. In the calendar’s new ELEMENTS edition, Norwegian photographer and film maker Sølve Sundsbø explores the links between women, nature and the inner forces that cannot be seen but can be felt. The result is a visually powerful, intimate and surprisingly calm account of the contemporary female identity.
🖊 Zdeněk Vacl | Pirelli
MORE THAN THE FOUR ELEMENTS
The Pirelli calendar has always been a mirror of its time. But it was never a mere celebration of aesthetics. The 2026 edition takes its meaning further – from visual perfection to emotional and existential depth.
Sølve Sundsbø works with the traditional elements – earth, air, fire and water – while consciously extending them to include the intangible elements such as energy, ether and light. It’s not about symbolism, it’s about a state of mind. About what shapes a person on the inside.
“I didn’t want to be literal. I wanted to capture the emotions, instincts and inner states that shape human life.” Sølve Sundsbø
A WOMAN/SPACE DIALOGUE
The shooting took place both in the open countryside – on Holkham Beach in Norfolk and in the Essex countryside – and in studios in London and New York, where Sundsbø used monumental LED projections to create illusionary natural sceneries. Each portrait was created as a dialogue between the photographer and a woman rather than as a stylised pose. It captures the energy of the moment, inner peace, tension and the power of presence.
MATURITY AS A NEW DEFINITION OF BEAUTY
The cast was crucial. Sundsbø chose mature women with a story to tell, experience and personal depth. Women who are not icons because they conform to an ideal, but because they have long since transcended it.
The twenty-two photographs feature eleven exceptional personalities – including Tilda Swinton, Isabella Rossellini, Venus Williams and Eva Herzigová, the cover face of the Pirelli 2026 calendar.
“I wanted to photograph women I admire for who they are – not just for what they look like.” Sølve Sundsbø
Eva Herzigová as the calm centre – she is one of few women who have defined and successfully at transcended the supermodel concept.
Rather than as a return to the past, Eva Herzigová’s presence in the calendar feels like a strong fixation to the present moment. Her portrait is one of the calmest and most eloquent in the whole edition.
Eva was born in Litvínov and began her modelling career in the late 1980s together with Tereza Maxová. At the age of fifteen she decided to go to Paris, where her stellar career began. Despite her mother’s initial disapproval, she eventually gained her father’s support and entered the world of fashion, ultimately becoming one of the first Czech supermodels.
Throughout her career she has worked with some of the world’s leading brands: Louis Vuitton, Versace, Dolce & Gabbana, Emilio Pucci, Giles Deacon and others. She has appeared on the covers of Vogue, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, Allure and other prestigious magazines. Today, more than three decades since her début, Eva remains a symbol of timeless beauty, maturity and personal strength that transcends any fashion trends. And yet she has maintained unshakable integrity – no affairs, no scandals – for which we are rightly proud of her.
EVA HERZIGOVÁ’S MILESTONES
• 1988–1989 – Start of modelling career
• Together with Tereza Maxová, she travels to Paris to enter the international fashion scene.
• 1994 – The iconic Wonderbra ‘Hello Boys’ commercial comes out
• The campaign that earned her world-class status; Herzigová became an outdoor advertising legend.
• 1990s–2000s – A top model on catwalks and magazine covers
• Works with Louis Vuitton, Versace, Dolce & Gabbana, Emilio Pucci, Giles Deacon.
• Covers of Vogue, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, Allure and other prestigious magazines.
• 1996–1998 – Brief marriage to Tico Torres of Bon Jovi – A private milestone, but one that did not interfere with her professional career.
• 2004 – Film experience – The role of Olga Picasso in Modigliani, a confirmation of her versatile talent.
• 2010s – Stable family life – She has three sons with Italian businessman Gregorio Marsai and lives in Italy.
• 2023 – Return to the fashion industry – She appears on the Mugler catwalk, confirming there are no age restrictions in modelling.
• 2026 – Pirelli Cover Star: ELEMENTS – A symbol of maturity, serenity and feminine strength that transcends aesthetic trends.
