This first book by Rihanna is an exclusive, inside look into her world. Rihanna, a stunning visual narrative from the international cultural icon, is to be published by Phaidon. From her childhood in Barbados to her worldwide tours, from quintessential fashion moments to private time with friends and family, the book showcases intimate photographs of her life as a musician, performer, designer, and entrepreneur.
“I am so excited to share this collection of incredible images. I’m very grateful to the talented photographers and artists who contributed. We’ve been working on the book for over five years and I’m really happy to be able to finally share it with everybody,” said Rihanna.
Phaidon’s CEO, Keith Fox, said of the project, “We are excited and proud to publish this incredible book by this extremely talented and influential woman. Rihanna is such an important and groundbreaking artist, style icon, and entrepreneur and we are looking forward to sharing her fascinating life with a larger audience.”
The large-format trade edition book (12-5/8 x 16-1/2 inches) includes more than 1,000 photographs, many being published here for the first time. Impeccably produced, this sumptuous 504-page book also contains 11 special inserts, including a removable poster, and 7 gatefolds. The cover features a stunning color photograph and wrap-around cloth binding. Weighing in at 15 pounds, the book comes in a printed black carrying case and is available wherever books are sold.
In addition to the large-format trade edition of Rihanna (October 24, 2019), Phaidon and Rihanna have collaborated with The Haas Brothers on three limited editions. “This Sh*t is Heavy,” the Fenty x Phaidon edition (October 10, 2019), includes a copy of the book that features a cover with two black and white photographs, a cloth binding, and a custom-designed tabletop bookstand inspired by Rihanna’s hands. The Luxury Supreme edition (November 20, 2019) is signed and numbered by Rihanna and The Haas Brothers. The book for this edition is bound in a custom-made black fabric with an inset, matte black, laser-cut steel grille, completed with the “Drippy + The Brain” stand, a gold toned, cast-resin tabletop bookstand covered with a bespoke black vermiculated fabric. The book and stand together weigh 126 pounds. These editions are exclusively available at TheRihannaBook.com. The three artists also collaborated on an Ultra Luxury Supreme edition, entitled “Stoner,” a custom-sculpted marble pedestal to showcase the Luxury Supreme book. Each pedestal, in the edition of ten, is exclusively designed to cradle the book and is hand carved in Nazaré, Portugal from a unique piece of solid Pele de Tigre marble, with a soft eggshell finish.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rihanna (b. 1988, Barbados) is a nine-time Grammy Award–winning recording artist, songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and entrepreneur. She has sold 60 million albums and 215 million digital tracks worldwide, making her the top-selling digital artist of all time. Rihanna launched her beauty line Fenty Beauty in 2017, her lingerie line Savage X Fenty in 2018, and most recently her luxury fashion line FENTY in 2019.
ABOUT PHAIDON
Phaidon is a global publisher of books on art, architecture, design, fashion, photography, and popular culture, as well as cookbooks, children’s books, and travel books. The company is based in London and New York City, with additional offices in Paris and Berlin. With over 1,500 titles in print, Phaidon books are sold in over 100 countries and are printed in English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Mandarin, and dozens of other languages. Since the publisher’s founding in Vienna in 1923, Phaidon has sold more than 42 million books worldwide.
ABOUT THE DESIGNER
Leading independent creative studio Barnbrook designed the interiors and typography for the book. Barnbrook, founded in 1990 by Jonathan Barnbrook in London, is one of Britain’s most well-known and highly regarded independent creative studios. The studio has been collaborating with the world’s best and most exciting art and cultural clients to produce memorable, beautiful, and thought-provoking design. The studio’s contribution to design was recognized with a retrospective at the Design Museum in London in 2007 and a Grammy Award in 2016 for David Bowie’s Blackstar record cover.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
The Haas Brothers (b. 1984, Austin, TX) was founded by twin brothers, Nikolai and Simon. Their work explores aesthetic themes related to nature, science fiction, sexuality, and psychedelia. Their first solo museum exhibition was held at the Bass Museum of Art in Miami, Florida and their pieces are held in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, LACMA, and RISD Museum. They are represented by Marianne Boesky Gallery in New York and live in Los Angeles.
