Advertising Photography: Where Product Meets Art
Pirelli is a byword for products that have become part of consumers’ everyday lives, and for shaping the popular imagination through its effective, innovative and high-quality advertising. By involving internationally acclaimed artists—designers, painters, film directors, writers and graphic designers—in its creations, Pirelli has anticipated the developments in the styles and instruments of visual communication in Italy and beyond.
The camera lens plays a vital role in conveying the company’s message. Advertising photography is what emerges when an artist’s vision encounters the brand’s product, with the aim of highlighting the product’s qualities and capturing the observer’s attention, captivating and inspiring them. Visual storytelling is not just a matter of conveying a message, for it needs to involve and excite.
In the 1950s, the focus was on action and speed, on legendary drivers and historic victories. The iconic face of Juan Manuel Fangio appeared on brochures, posters, and postcards, symbolising the prestige of the Stelvio—the “record-breaker” that powered the Argentine driver’s Maserati to victory, taking him to the top spot on the podium in 1954. Similarly, the world champion Alberto Ascari was captured in his Ferrari fitted with “Long P” tyres, both during the race and before the start, looking confidently into the camera and showing that “no tyre company in the world can boast such prestigious titles”. Pirelli’s communication extended beyond the racetrack as it explored the backstage world of motor racing. During the 1950 Italian Grand Prix, the Stella Bianca—a symbol of the golden age of racing—took centre stage in Federico Patellani’s photo shoot, which appeared on posters and brochures. His lens captured the mechanics and tyre fitters at work in the pits, wearing their Pirelli overalls and caps, celebrating the Group’s technical expertise. A couple of years later, the Pirelli Racing Service was again showcased in Monza, tending to Nino Farina’s Ferrari no. 20. This scene dominated the pages of Pirelli magazine, showing a team of specialists who “assist and advise the masters of speed, in all races, on all roads”.
This tradition of using big-name endorsers continued into the 1990s. By this time, the product itself was taking a back seat, with champions the focus of attention. Carl Lewis became an icon, photographed by Annie Leibovitz at the starting blocks in 1994, with the now-famous slogan: “Power is nothing without control”. Two years later, Albert Watson’s dramatic black-and-white portrait of the sprinter likened him to the Dragon motorcycle tyre, with a close-up of his fierce expression and sharpened teeth that “devour the road” with unparalleled intensity.
Advertisements were made not only for the tyres that shaped the history of motor racing, but also for those that became icons of mass motorisation. In the late 1950s, Aldo Ballo captured the Inverno tyre in action, conquering snow-covered roads both uphill and downhill, on curves and while braking, delivering a level of performance that could “calm even the most cautious driver”. Meanwhile, Gianni Berengo Gardin’s 1958 photograph of high water in St Mark’s Square in Venice promoted the revolutionary P3. Pirelli’s “unique heritage of energy and intelligence” not only contributed to the conceptual design of a flood barrier for Venice but also inspired the development of the P3, a tyre that embodied the three essential characteristics required by the motorist—durability, safety, and comfort. In the 1960s came François Robert’s dynamic image of a car speeding along a road in the pouring rain on Cinturato tyres, emphasising their safety on wet surfaces. This same tyre took pride of place in Fulvio Roiter’s joyful depiction of children playing with a wooden cart in the street, as well as in Ugo Mulas’s shot of a parked car, in which the tread pattern is clearly shown, near a body of water and with a girl immersed in reading. The first radial from Pirelli became a symbol of the evolution of Italian society, reflecting the rise of a new concept of mobility that was now accessible to all, and a modern vision of leisure. It was again Mulas who showed the Cinturato against the backdrop of Lake Como, and who took a close-up view of the Sempione in a work of great artistic elegance, with the reflection of himself lying on the ground appearing in the chrome-plated bumper of a Bianchina. He also highlighted the reliability of the nylon and rayon N+R tyre, with parents and children, and brothers and sisters—and even an Irish setter—as the faces of his campaign.
Artists have also turned their creative eye to the world of two wheels. In 1953, a photo shoot of a young woman on a Vespa—a symbol of progress and independence—shows how Pirelli was the first company in Italy to design tyres for motor scooters, contributing to the success of this “most modern vehicle”. The iconic bicycle tubulars, on the other hand, took centre stage in a celebrated 1964 advertisement by Massimo Vignelli. Aldo Ballo’s photograph of a smiling girl on a bicycle was transformed by the Milanese designer into a graphic masterpiece, first against a pink background and later a yellow one. Now part of the permanent collection of MoMA, this work transcended the product itself, becoming a tribute to freedom, a statement of female emancipation, and a joyful ode to life.
These same artists were also called upon to capture the vast range of Pirelli’s diversified products. Ballo created many still lifes for catalogues, from beach items to rubber toys. Fulvio Roiter’s image of a dove in flight, on its way back to its “soft, warm” nest, was used to promote Pirelli foam mattresses, while Ugo Mulas photographed men and women wearing Pirelli raincoats, in timelessly elegant portraits.
This is a story of iconic images and products, of experimentation and artistry, today as vibrant as ever. Technical know-how and communication know-how are two fundamental, intertwined aspects of the world of Pirelli. The evolution of digital media and the continuous innovation of production processes go hand-in-hand with the company’s commitment to telling its story, preserving its memories, and communicating its aspirations for the future. Sharing its identity with the world.
Pirelli is a byword for products that have become part of consumers’ everyday lives, and for shaping the popular imagination through its effective, innovative and high-quality advertising. By involving internationally acclaimed artists—designers, painters, film directors, writers and graphic designers—in its creations, Pirelli has anticipated the developments in the styles and instruments of visual communication in Italy and beyond.
The camera lens plays a vital role in conveying the company’s message. Advertising photography is what emerges when an artist’s vision encounters the brand’s product, with the aim of highlighting the product’s qualities and capturing the observer’s attention, captivating and inspiring them. Visual storytelling is not just a matter of conveying a message, for it needs to involve and excite.
In the 1950s, the focus was on action and speed, on legendary drivers and historic victories. The iconic face of Juan Manuel Fangio appeared on brochures, posters, and postcards, symbolising the prestige of the Stelvio—the “record-breaker” that powered the Argentine driver’s Maserati to victory, taking him to the top spot on the podium in 1954. Similarly, the world champion Alberto Ascari was captured in his Ferrari fitted with “Long P” tyres, both during the race and before the start, looking confidently into the camera and showing that “no tyre company in the world can boast such prestigious titles”. Pirelli’s communication extended beyond the racetrack as it explored the backstage world of motor racing. During the 1950 Italian Grand Prix, the Stella Bianca—a symbol of the golden age of racing—took centre stage in Federico Patellani’s photo shoot, which appeared on posters and brochures. His lens captured the mechanics and tyre fitters at work in the pits, wearing their Pirelli overalls and caps, celebrating the Group’s technical expertise. A couple of years later, the Pirelli Racing Service was again showcased in Monza, tending to Nino Farina’s Ferrari no. 20. This scene dominated the pages of Pirelli magazine, showing a team of specialists who “assist and advise the masters of speed, in all races, on all roads”.
This tradition of using big-name endorsers continued into the 1990s. By this time, the product itself was taking a back seat, with champions the focus of attention. Carl Lewis became an icon, photographed by Annie Leibovitz at the starting blocks in 1994, with the now-famous slogan: “Power is nothing without control”. Two years later, Albert Watson’s dramatic black-and-white portrait of the sprinter likened him to the Dragon motorcycle tyre, with a close-up of his fierce expression and sharpened teeth that “devour the road” with unparalleled intensity.
Advertisements were made not only for the tyres that shaped the history of motor racing, but also for those that became icons of mass motorisation. In the late 1950s, Aldo Ballo captured the Inverno tyre in action, conquering snow-covered roads both uphill and downhill, on curves and while braking, delivering a level of performance that could “calm even the most cautious driver”. Meanwhile, Gianni Berengo Gardin’s 1958 photograph of high water in St Mark’s Square in Venice promoted the revolutionary P3. Pirelli’s “unique heritage of energy and intelligence” not only contributed to the conceptual design of a flood barrier for Venice but also inspired the development of the P3, a tyre that embodied the three essential characteristics required by the motorist—durability, safety, and comfort. In the 1960s came François Robert’s dynamic image of a car speeding along a road in the pouring rain on Cinturato tyres, emphasising their safety on wet surfaces. This same tyre took pride of place in Fulvio Roiter’s joyful depiction of children playing with a wooden cart in the street, as well as in Ugo Mulas’s shot of a parked car, in which the tread pattern is clearly shown, near a body of water and with a girl immersed in reading. The first radial from Pirelli became a symbol of the evolution of Italian society, reflecting the rise of a new concept of mobility that was now accessible to all, and a modern vision of leisure. It was again Mulas who showed the Cinturato against the backdrop of Lake Como, and who took a close-up view of the Sempione in a work of great artistic elegance, with the reflection of himself lying on the ground appearing in the chrome-plated bumper of a Bianchina. He also highlighted the reliability of the nylon and rayon N+R tyre, with parents and children, and brothers and sisters—and even an Irish setter—as the faces of his campaign.
Artists have also turned their creative eye to the world of two wheels. In 1953, a photo shoot of a young woman on a Vespa—a symbol of progress and independence—shows how Pirelli was the first company in Italy to design tyres for motor scooters, contributing to the success of this “most modern vehicle”. The iconic bicycle tubulars, on the other hand, took centre stage in a celebrated 1964 advertisement by Massimo Vignelli. Aldo Ballo’s photograph of a smiling girl on a bicycle was transformed by the Milanese designer into a graphic masterpiece, first against a pink background and later a yellow one. Now part of the permanent collection of MoMA, this work transcended the product itself, becoming a tribute to freedom, a statement of female emancipation, and a joyful ode to life.
These same artists were also called upon to capture the vast range of Pirelli’s diversified products. Ballo created many still lifes for catalogues, from beach items to rubber toys. Fulvio Roiter’s image of a dove in flight, on its way back to its “soft, warm” nest, was used to promote Pirelli foam mattresses, while Ugo Mulas photographed men and women wearing Pirelli raincoats, in timelessly elegant portraits.
This is a story of iconic images and products, of experimentation and artistry, today as vibrant as ever. Technical know-how and communication know-how are two fundamental, intertwined aspects of the world of Pirelli. The evolution of digital media and the continuous innovation of production processes go hand-in-hand with the company’s commitment to telling its story, preserving its memories, and communicating its aspirations for the future. Sharing its identity with the world.
