Q

Jeet this Week: Annie Leibovitz strikes again

Jeet Heer says Annie Leibovitz's portrait of Caitlyn Jenner is the perfect melding of high and low culture.
Vanity Fair's wildly viral July cover, featuring Caitlyn Jenner, was shot by the legendary Anne Leibovitz. (Annie Leibovitz/Vanity Fair)

The much-discussed Caitlyn Jenner cover of Vanity Fair hit newsstands yesterday — and while many discuss what it means for trans visibility, q's culture critic Jeet Heer calls attention to the woman behind the camera. 

Legendary celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz, he says, has been instrumental in blurring the lines between high and low culture. She has re-framed many famous faces with her mighty lens, and turned celebrity photos in to public conversations. 

Yoko Ono and John Lennon, photographed by Annie Liebovitz, grace the cover of Rolling Stone's January 1981 edition. (The Associated Press)
The Aug. 1991 edition of Vanity Fair magazine features a pregnant Demi Moore, as shot by Annie Leibovitz. (Annie Leibovitz/Vanity Fair/The Associated Press)
This Vogue cover image, taken by Annie Leibovitz, features rapper Kanye West and TV personality Kim Kardashian. (Vogue/Annie Leibovitz/The Associated Press)

Jeet's references: 

  • Annie Leibovitz
  • Demi Moore on the cover of Vanity Fair
  • Bruce Springsteen, Born in the USA
  • John Lennon
  • Henri Cartier-Bresson, photographer
  • Alberto Vargas, pin-up illustrator
  • Gertrude Stein
  • T.S. Eliot
  • The Dial
  • Saturday Evening Post
  • The New Yorker
  • James Wallcott 
  • Jane Austen
  • Norman Mailer
  • Game of Thrones 
  • Tina Brown