The 2011 Pirelli Calendar, now it its 38th edition, was presented to the world's press and to other guests and collectors from around the world in Moscow. The event was held at the prestigious Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko theatre, which has, over the course of more than 90 years, been the site of operas and ballets that have become a part of the nation's artistic heritage.

In the gallery you have the pleasure to view some safe-for-work photos.

After Patrick Demarchelier immortalized China in the 2008 edition, Peter Beard drew a portrait of Botswana in 2009, and Terry Richardson covered Brazil in 2010, "The Cal 2011" features the creative genius of the multi-faceted artist Karl Lagerfeld, whose sense for art and aesthetics is renowned throughout the world.

From his Paris studio, Lagerfeld created "Mythology", a calendar that reflects one of his deepest passions, that of Greek and Roman mythology, tales of the origins of humanity told through the adventures of gods and goddesses, heroes and heroines. On a voyage back through time transported by the universal language of photography, "Mythology" takes us to the roots of classical civilization and takes the Pirelli Calendar back to the Old World, where nearly 140 years ago a company was born that was to become a multinational organization with operations in over 160 nations around the world.

The 36 photos that make up the 2011 Calendar show 24 different subjects, including gods, heroes and myths. With his keen eye, Lagerfeld has 'sculpted' these photos both in terms of their aesthetic rigor and for the recurring references to the art of sculpture and its classical tenets. All of the photos are in black and white, which lends character to the images, exalts the beauty of the figures represented in sharp chromatic contrast, and gives them a certain three-dimensionality through the careful use of light.

"Actresses and models bring these new heroes to life and depict a new concept of the beautiful," said Karl Lagerfeld, who, within the 2011 Pirelli Calendar, has offered up an idyllic, immortal representation of beauty. Beauty, youth, the veneration of form, and desire depict this new concept of beauty and embody the modernity in mythology.

There are 21 protagonists of this edition: 15 female models, 5 male models, and the American actress Julianne Moore. The female models include: Italian models Bianca Balti and Elisa Sednaoui; Danish model Freja Beha Erichsen; Brazilian model Isabeli Fontana (also in the 2005 Calendar by Patrick Demarchelier and in the 2009 edition by Peter Beard); Polish models Magdalena Frackowiak and Anja Rubik; Australian model Abbey Lee Kershaw (who debuted in the 2010 Calendar by Terry Richardson); Indian model Lakshmi Menon; American models Heidi Mount and Erin Wasson (who debuted in the 2005 Calendar by Patrick Demarchelier); Russian model Natasha Poly; Dutch model Lara Stone and Canadian model Daria Werbowy (both of whom Peter Beard had also chosen for the 2009 Calendar); Austrian model Iris Strubegger; and Jamaican model Jeneil Williams. The 5 male models are Baptiste Giabiconi and Sébastien Jondeau (French), Brad Kroenig and Garret Neff (American), and Jake Davis (British).

2011 Pirelli Calendar: The Cast

Images 1-2: HERA - Julianne Moore
Image 3: ZEUS - Brad Kroenig
Image 4: PENTHESILEA - Daria Werbowy
Image 5: AURORA - Heidi Mount
Image 6: AURORA - Heidi Mount
Image 7: APOLLO - Freja Beha Erichsen
Image 8: APOLLO - Freja Beha Erichsen
Image 9: THE NYMPH ECHO - Abbey Lee Kershaw
Image 10: THE NYMPH ECHO - Abbey Lee Kershaw
Image 11: ATHENA - Magdalena Frackowiak
Image 12: THREE BACCHANTES - Erin Wasson, Bianca Balti, Lakshmi Menon
Image 13: BACCHANTE - Bianca Balti
Image 14: BACCHUS AND TWO BACCHANTES - Garrett Neff, Isabeli Fontana, Bianca Balti
Image 15: FLORA - Elisa Sednaoui
Image 16: CASTOR AND POLLUX - Abbey Lee Kershaw, Freja Beha Erichsen
Image 17: NARCISSUS AND THE NYMPH ECHO - Elisa Sednaoui, Baptiste Giabiconi
Image 18: ATHENA - Iris Strubegger
Image 19: ATHENA - Iris Strubegger
Image 20: ACHILLES - Jake Davies
Image 21: ESTIA - Magdalena Frackowiak
Image 22: ESTIA - Magdalena Frackowiak
Image 23: AJAX - Erin Wasson
Image 24: MELPOMENE - Natasha Poly
Image 25: HADES - Jeneil Williams
Image 26: ORPHEUS AND EURYDICE - Freja Beha Erichsen, Abbey Lee Kershaw
Image 27: TERPSICHORE - Anja Rubik
Image 28: AMPHITRITE - Heidi Mount
Image 29: AMPHITRITE - Heidi Mount
Image 30 APOLLO - Baptiste Giabiconi
Image 31: APOLLO - Baptiste Giabiconi
Image 32: APHRODITE - Lara Stone
Image 33: APHRODITE AND MARS - Lara Stone, Sébastien Jondeau
Image 34: ARTEMIS - Daria Werbowy
Image 35: HERMES - Anja Rubik
Image 36: HERMES - Anja Rubik

Pirelli Calendar: Photographers and Locations

1964 Robert Freeman in Majorca
1965 Brian Duffy in the South of France
1966 Peter Knapp in Al Hoceima, Morocco
1967 Not published
1968 Harry Peccinotti in Tunisia
1969 Harry Peccinotti in Big Sur, California
1970 Francis Giacobetti in Paradise Island, Bahamas
1971 Francis Giacobetti in Jamaica
1972 Sarah Moon at Villa Les Tilleuls, Paris
1973 Allen Jones in London
1974 Hans Feurer at the Seychelles
1975-1983 Not published
1984 Uwe Ommer at the Bahamas
1985 Norman Parkinson in Edinburgh, Scotland
1986 Bert Stern in Cotswolds, England
1987 Terence Donovan in Bath, England
1988 Barry Lategan in London
1989 Joyce Tennyson at the Polaroid Studios, New York
1990 Arthur Elgort in Seville, Spain
1991 Clive Arrowsmith in France
1992 Clive Arrowsmith in Almeria, Spain
1993 John Claridge at the Seychelles
1994 Herb Ritts in Paradise Island, Bahamas
1995 Richard Avedon in New York
1996 Peter Lindberg in El Mirage, California
1997 Richard Avedon in New York
1998 Bruce Weber in Miami
1999 Herb Ritts in Los Angeles
2000 Annie Leibovitz in Rhinebeck, New York
2001 Mario Testino in Napoli
2002 Peter Lindbergh in Los Angeles
2003 Bruce Weber in the South of Italy
2004 Nick Knight in London
2005 Patrick Demarchelier in Rio de Janeiro
2006 Mert and Marcus in Cap d'Antibes, France
2007 Inez and Vinoodh in California
2008 Patrick Demarchelier in Shanghai, China
2009 Peter Beard in Abu Camp/Jack's Camp, Botswana
2010 Terry Richardson in Brazil
2011 Karl Lagerfeld in Paris