Annie Leibovitz, who shot Donald Trump and Kim Kardashian, Andy Warhol and Rihanna, on her Hong Kong exhibition, new book and a long career
- Annie Leibovitz has photographed anyone who is anyone, from politicians to heads of state, from fashion designers to rock stars, in a 50-year career
- With an exhibition opening in Hong Kong and a book, Wonderland out – her ‘Covid baby’ – she talks about working with Donald Trump, Kate Moss and Rihanna
Rapper Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs, wearing black leather trousers, sunglasses and a crucifix necklace, is lounging on a couch. Standing in front of him is supermodel Kate Moss, in a sheer floor-length dress, cigarette in hand.
The scene was captured by photographer Annie Leibovitz at the Hyatt Hotel in Paris in 1999 and perfectly captures the zeitgeist of the time: Moss was queen of the catwalk while Combs had just debuted his collection at the autumn couture shows.
For Leibovitz, whose career has spanned more than five decades, the image marked a turning point.
“That was my first couture shoot,” she says via Zoom from her flat in New York, of the editorial “Puffy Takes Paris” that was featured in the October 1999 issue of US Vogue.
“It was fantastic to work with Kate. She makes you feel like you’re the greatest photographer in the world but it’s her who makes the images.”