In 2008, Annie Rivieccio was asked to participate, along with several other top name female bodybuilders, in a photography book by famed contemporary artist and photographer Martin Schoeller.
Schoeller is considered a contemporary master of portrait photography. Since 1999, Martin Schoeller has been contracted by The New Yorker to capture portraits of the most recognized personalities of our time. Through this and other magazines, he has photographed President Bill Clinton, Barak Obama, Tom Wolfe, Angelina Jolie, George Clooney, and many others.
In this work titled ‘Female Bodybuilders‘, he turns his unique style to female body builders. In Schoeller’s words: “With Female Bodybuilders, I am trying to show the vulnerability that I see and feel in the subjects when I am with them, to get to the complex emotions behind a mask of extreme physical expression. These women mirror our modern cultural hunger for size, aggression, and attention at any cost. We are in the age of Bigness.”
In March of 2008, a party was held in downtown Los Angeles to exhibit the work and celebrate the book release. The party was attended by celebrities and politicians as well as invited female bodybuilders; Annie Rivieccio, Betty Viana-Adkins, Rosemary Jennings, Kristy Hawkins, Iris Kyle, Yaxani Oriquen and Nikki Fuller. A stage guest posing show with Annie, Betty and Rosemary was the highlight of the evening.
Here are some sample images from the book ‘Female Bodybuilders‘ by Martin Schoeller.
The gallery below are photos taken during the night of the exibition courtesy of Gene X Hwang of Orange Photography
