Linda Evangelista’s secret poultry past
We've been told by our readers that they want more Linda Evangelista. Well, we're more than happy to oblige. The iconic model stars in Maurizio Cattelan's commissioned portfolio for our annual Art Issue. We caught...
What was it like working with Maurizio Cattelan? It was a hell of a lot of fun. I have to say, he wasn’t what I was expecting. He’s just so, I don’t know, like a boy—so fun and enthusiastic and jolly.
He described you as “a still actress, with a range of expressions that is endless.” Oh wow, he said that? I don’t know, I just really wanted it to work… I never got a clear answer about what he wanted, and it’s sort of like his art. It’s up for you to interpret.
Like the photo where you’re coming through the wall? That’s maybe the one that I was directed the most on. And you know, I’m still not quite sure, myself. There’s many many messages.
We’ve had a lot of questions already about the photo with the chickens. Well, I grew up in Canada, in an area where everyone had chickens. I mean, we weren’t supposed to have chickens—it was a residential area, but we did. Also, when I went back to Italy with my parents where they grew up, there were chickens. So you can say I know a lot about chickens.
You probably never imagined doing a fashion shoot with chickens, though. Yeah, we were working around the chickens, not me. The chickens go to sleep at dusk—so they said, ‘If you don’t hurry up, we’re going to lose them!’ There are moments in your life when you say, How did I get here? And it happened to me in that moment.
Click HERE to see Maurizio Cattelan’s portfolio starring Linda Evangelista.
Evangelista and her son, Augie, three.
Photos: Cover and Cattelan images, PierPaolo Ferrari; beach, Steven Meisel.
