Annie Leibovitz Slideshow: The Iconic Covers

Annie Leibovitz sure knows how to cause a stir.

In 2008, she photographed tween idol Miley Cyrus for a spread in Vanity Fair. In one photo, the 15-year-old Cyrus appears to be topless, clutching a rumpled sheet to her chest. In another, Cyrus appears draped over her father's lap, her belly peaking out beneath her black tank top.

But before snapping the teen queen, Leibovitz shot a string of provocative and noteworthy photos, many of them gracing the covers of such glossy magazines as Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone and Vogue. Here is a look back at some of the iconic covers of the renowned photographer.

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[loki]

She is a great photographer, no doubt about it. But if you notice not one of those pictures they are using to try to justify the kiddie porn, are of people under 18. I think that makes a big difference. If the Miley photo was on some slimy guy suspected of having child porn, it would be classified as that. Someone under 18 in a provocative position. But, being as she is famous, some people see it differently .

[RaraAvis17]

The John Lennon and Yoko Ono pics are the best since John was murdered just a few hours later.

[deedrdo]

i've always liked annie's pix. my favorite was the one of cindy crawford shaving kd lang. priceless.

[plages]

Absolutely love all works of Annie Leibovitz's!

[XCITIZEN]

A little editorial on this :

http://gawker.com/384674/why-its-annie-leibovitzs-fault

I did a search, and did not find what I was looking for, namely, there was a recent outrage about Leibovitz exploitation of her lover Susan Sontag, in photographing and then displaying said photographs, of her corpse. Anybody have that link? I'm sure it would provide some interesting background.

[XCITIZEN]

I find her photographs shallow and tacky, for the most part. Which is unfortunate. I have admired individual photos she's taken, but overall, very gimmicky. Yeah, that's the word - gimmicky. She is a servant of corporate media interests.

[Melissa]

She has produced some beautiful provocative photographs in the past. I do believe this is the first time she has exploited a 15 year old child. Not good!

[SaraPulis]

Hm, I really don't see a problem with the images of Ms. Cyrus. They don't seem sexual to me at all. In fact, I find most of Ms. Leibovitz's work beautiful and enriching, including the photo in question. If you look at a 15-year-old girl showing less skin than she would in a standard bathing suit and see something sexual, the problem is with you and not the image.

[thisoldbroad]

Her photographs are beautiful. The picture of this girl is beautiful & doesn't strike me as sexual, even as the media swirls on this.

This woman's photographs are always thoughtful & beautiful, I look forward to each new one.

I have to wonder if the girls family, (who was actively involved & present during shooting), isn't reacting to some puritanical minds at Disney & trying to save face with them. I don't remember this much noise about the nude photos that surfaced a few months ago about 1 of Disneys young stars.

If they are going to carry on in this manner, then Disney needs a more strict dress code for ALL the young girls in their employ.

This photo shows no "provocative" body parts, no décolletage, no crotchless panty shots. It's just a beautiful picture of a lovely young girl with little or no makeup.

Please don't let the media determine what is a sexual image for us. Remember, this is the same media that never misses an opportunity to show overly made up young women with surgically enhanced boobs in the audience at sporting events. The same ones that think we won't buy a product without seeing someone with surgically enhanced boobs holding it or sitting on it.

[KindAndThoughtful]

"The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera. "

[StanTheManic]

nevermind...

I thought the headline to this story said: "Annie Leibovitz SIDE SHOW: The Iconic Covers"

Annie L. takes goofy pix, pix that would get "C"s in Photography 101, passes 'em off as "art" and if you don't like 'em you're, well, ME ...

and then she giggles aaaaaaalllllll the way to the bank.

[XCITIZEN]

You hit the nail on the head. When I first read the headline, I also though it said 'Sideshow' and I think it's because I was already convinced that there was too much 'Sideshow' in her 'art.' This 'art' is really more like marketing.

[kappa08]

GOD BLESS ANNIE LEIBOVITZ! For producing art as SHE see's it, whether we like it or not. Art has become a casualty of war because of the self right fundamentalist agenda that has invaded like a bacteria of mutated regression that see's NO beauty unless it's at the end of a judgmental cross.
And this is the clean stuff!
Those of you that see Mylie as this child victim of our culture of idolatry. Should look in the mirror and check your head. Tell me you don't put your quarters in the machine and pay for this every day. Especially the ladies...my god You are responsible for the success of American Idol, TMZ, E.T., The Bachelor and just about every other program that has added to the decline of these highly marketed "entertainment" outlets.
This girl is a MATURE 15...more like 25. I'm sorry but she is AWARE. That broad brush need not be painted over this "American Idol".

[Chuckwheat]

The 'iconic' shots are all of adults, not high-school age kids overwhelmed by fat paychecks.

[MrWampler]

Why are most of the "iconic" shots from the past year?

Indiana Jones? Really?

[Fairfax]

Annie is a genius.

[CammyV]

Annie Leibovitz shooting Miley Cyrus. The apocalypse is near.

[VictorLudorum]

she must've victimised the little girl ,because she is over sexed herself........................

[InofTouch]

what a man agruement you maid

[NoSillyName]

I have my own pictures of Leibovitz. Well, I have the negatives and the contact sheets, but I never printed anything.

I used to be real impressed with her as a R&R photographer, when she was more avant-garde, but now she's just part of the Big Establishment. I doubt she does anything except step in to take the shots after her huge entourage of assistants does all the work. I guess she's come to believe her own hype.

But I could be wrong.

Congrats to her for such huge success.

[VictorLudorum]

see you were impressed by here huge success .i saw those canydid pics.., i think she has no sense in real with depth of feild or keeps feilding that ...she couldnt score the real architecture of buck house and personality of the queen in thirtysome days......

[JCali]

Annie Leibovitz's defense of the Miley Cyrus photo shoot is infuriating and mind-boggling. I'm a liberal, open-minded progressive, but no matter how you look at this... taking seductive pictures of a 15 year old is just plain wrong. Who is the target audience for this?

[CammyV]

Liebowitz was hired to shoot the spread, she didn't approach the Cyrus family, she was hired by the magazine. The parents (father, anyway) was there and saw the poses and didn't object. Only when the post cognitive dissonance hit, did they start crying foul. I have no sympathy for them.

[loki]

Your absolutely correct. This falls on Billy Ray Cyrus. I think Division of Family services should visit him. Just like they could a non famous person if they had their child photographed like this an published worldwide. He is trying to live his failed career through her, and he has forgotten she is only a child. Kind of wonder how his other children feel about this? Why is Miley getting all of Daddies attention and support, while they get none? Then again, they are the lucky ones, they are not getting mind screwed by their father like she is. Hell, she is even changing her name , at 15? Just because she is better known as Miley Ray Cyrus than her given name Destiny Hope Cyrus . Come to think of it, I bet her father was behind that too. Miley "Ray" Cyrus.... Just another way to get his name out there to make him feel like its his fame not hers. He needs help.