Hollywood actresses take center stage for 2017 Pirelli calendar

Hollywood actresses take over the 2017 Pirelli calendar, with Uma Thurman, Helen Mirren, Kate Winslet and Nicole Kidman among the big names featuring in the latest edition unveiled in Paris on Tuesday.

German photographer Peter Lindbergh snapped simple, black and white pictures of the celebrities, which also include Julianne Moore, Lupita Nyong'o, Charlotte Rampling and Alicia Vikander, for the 44th edition of the calendar, known for its images of scantily-clad models.

At a news conference, Mirren, Thurman and Kidman praised Lindbergh's stripped back photographs, which show the actresses with minimal makeup, saying they portrayed natural beauty and femininity.

"We are used to such spectacular images ... with such amazing locations and when you look at Vogue magazine or any magazine or the earlier Pirelli calendars, these amazing locations and incredible lighting and airbrushing," Mirren said.

"And so you have this amazing image and here we're going ... away from that and saying: 'No. Let's find the amazing in something that's simple and human and real.'"

For the 2016 edition, American photographer Annie Leibovitz took pictures of women including tennis player Serena Williams, comedian Amy Schumer and artist Yoko Ono.

"Sexy is normally translated by bikinis and high heels and this is the opposite of what I think is sexy," Lindbergh, who has shot three editions of the calendar, told Reuters of his latest photographs.

"I think sexy is something very, very hidden and not exposed."

(Reporting by Helena Williams; Writing by Marie-Louise Gumuchian; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)