Annie Leibovitz’s “Women” Photography Collection Updated with New Edition and Exhibition
A new edition of Annie Leibovitz’s influential photography collection, Women, is being released this fall, expanding upon the original 1999 volume with recent photographs and essays by Gloria Steinem and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
The updated collection, published by Phaidon, includes portraits taken between 1993 and today, featuring figures such as poet Amanda Gorman, author Toni Morrison, television producer Shonda Rhimes, Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, swimmer Katie Ledecky, and Sarah Zorn, the first female regimental commander at The Citadel military college. The original Women project began after Leibovitz met Susan Sontag in 1988 during a photoshoot for Sontag’s book, AIDS and Its Metaphors, and the subsequent relationship profoundly influenced Leibovitz’s work.
Sontag’s introduction to the 1999 edition famously argued that a collection of photographs of women inherently raises questions about womanhood in a way a similar collection of men would not, stating, “Men, unlike women, are not a work in progress.” Adichie’s new essay acknowledges progress but emphasizes the ongoing pursuit of full gender equality, writing, “That women have made economic and political strides is not in dispute, but we are still very far away from the ultimate goal of feminism, which is to make itself redundant.” This collection arrives at a time when representation of women in leadership and traditionally male-dominated fields remains a critical conversation. You can learn more about the history of women in photography at the International Center of Photography.
Coinciding with the book’s release, an exhibition titled “Wonderland,” showcasing Leibovitz’s work, is currently on display at the Marta Ortega Pérez Foundation in A Coruña, Spain. Leibovitz notes in her introduction that the new work reflects contemporary issues, building on the original project’s exploration of female identity and societal roles. Phaidon is offering a preview of the new edition.
The publishers anticipate the updated collection will spark renewed dialogue about the evolving definition of womanhood and the ongoing fight for gender equality.
