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Annie Leibovitz an American Icon

Annie Leibovitz

Judging by the crowd outside of Benaroya Hall waiting to see Annie Leibovitz speak on November 19^th, it was obvious that Seattle Arts and Lectures was hosting someone big. People stood outside with handmade signs asking for tickets—the scene was more akin to a sporting event or rock concert than what was, essentially, a book reading. Inside, there were more hopefuls hovering about the Will Call lines making jokes and talking with those who were waiting to pick up tickets to the sold out event. The line for signed copies of Leibovitz’s new book, Annie Leibovitz at Work, was long and did not disperse until moments before the talk was about to begin. The excitement was palpable, and Annie Leibovitz proved that she was a bona-fide celebrity, not just someone who takes pictures of them.

Annie Leibovitz’s list of subjects reads like a who’s who of pop and art culture over the past 40 years. Her portfolio is diverse and she has gained every type of fan along the way. The reception after the lecture at the W hotel downtown was a mix of young hipsters, photography students, older groups discussing when they first saw their favorite images published, and various press and general celebrity seekers. Part of the reason Leibovitz is so popular is that she was in the right place at the right time: she was hired on at a fledgling Rolling Stone magazine after sending in a photo of ladders in an apple orchard. This job allowed her the access to always be around what was happening even when it wasn’t a happy event—her famous John Lennon and Yoko Ono pictures were taken a mere five hours before he was killed. In addition to her fortuitous timing, Leibovitz has had her fair share of controversy—the recent Miley Cyrus shoot comes to mind along with other gossip headlines over the years. Annie Leibovitz knows what people want to see and she knows how to make it interesting. Her ability to push the envelope in an intelligent way is what has kept her name at the top of the list over the past 4 decades.

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