Anne Hathaway’s Art-Inspired Photoshoot for Vogue by Annie Leibovitz

Hathaway as Madame X

Let’s start with the probably most seen photograph from this shoot—Hathaway as a Madame X from the famous painting by John Singer Sargent. From our perspective today, Sargent’s painting appears very elegant. It shows a graceful woman with smooth, pale skin and refined features, dressed in a carefully made black gown with gold straps. Her hair is styled in an updo and she stands before a soft brown background. One hand holds a fan while the other rests lightly on a round table. Her face is turned in profile, her long nose guiding the viewer’s gaze beyond the frame.

However, when it was first exhibited, the painting received a very different public reaction. The main reason was a small detail that now seems harmless: Sargent had painted one strap of the dress slipping off the woman’s shoulder. Critics attacked the work so harshly that he later repainted the strap in its proper place. He also tried to reduce attention on Gautreau herself. When he donated the painting to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1916, he asked that her name be hidden. This is why the work is still known as Madame X.

The Vogue photoshoot shows Anne Hathaway in Givenchy, styled as a reimagining of Sargent’s Madame X, which appears in the background. The reference is clear, and Hathaway’s confident pose mirrors the atmosphere of the original subject. With the dress strap lowered, Vogue recalls the painting’s history while presenting Hathaway as bold and provocative.

La Parisienne

The same photograph of Hathaway as Madame X also includes another artwork in the background, this one by the famous painter Édouard Manet. As its title suggests, the painting depicts a modern Parisian woman, standing confidently in a black dress with a hat and gloves. The plain background keeps the focus on her figure, while the soft brushwork, typical of Impressionism, blends the colors and captures the shine of the fabric, showing both her elegance and the style of the time.

Similar to Sargent’s piece, the female figure in Manet’s painting represents an attractive modern woman who confidently claims her space in modern society. The selection of these two paintings, to be seen alongside Anne Hathaway seems very effective in echoing the desired message of the photoshoot.

Between Gems and Skin

In this scene, Hathaway is flanked by two more Sargent masterpieces at The Met. She is dressed in an elaborate jeweled garment that turns her into a living counterpart to the male nudes behind her. A subtle tension emerges between their nakedness and Hathaway’s own presentation. She is not nude, but the jeweled top suggests a state of undress, since it is clear she wears nothing beneath the cascade of gems.

Franz Kline’s Mahoning

The art and fashion pairings continue, this time with Hathaway standing in front of Franz Kline’s Mahoning at the Whitney Museum in New York, wearing a look from Sarah Burton’s March 2025 debut collection for Givenchy. The setup is very captivating through Hathaway’s strong and confident pose that makes her stand out from the painting behind her, while at the same time becoming a part of it.

Franz Kline is famous for his abstract works that often look spontaneous but were actually very carefully planned. This is true for Mahoning, which shows bold black strokes set against a white background. Starting with a small sketch in a telephone book, Kline projected strong lines onto the canvas that seem to extend beyond its edges. He added more complexity by including collage elements, attaching pieces of paper beneath the layers of black paint. The name of the painting might make us wonder if it represents a place, but it is worth noting that Kline often titled his abstract works after towns near Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, where he grew up—including this one.

Women Power in Dialogue

Similar to the photos we saw previously, where Hathaway is positioned next to other strong female figures from Sargent’s paintings, here again we observe her in relation to the former First Lady. Her stance is steady and self-assured, her gaze directed toward the portrait in front of her. Hathaway becomes part of the composition—her posture, clothing, and expression linking her to the same visual language as the painting she is looking at. The photograph highlights the encounter of these two women and a sense of continuity between navigating visibility, power, and elegance.

Amy Sherald and Kehinde Wiley, who made a portrait of former president Barack Obama, were the first African American artists to receive commissions for National Portrait Gallery presidential portraits. Sherald depicts her subjects in the technique called grisaille which can be seen in this work, with Michelle Obama’s face, arms, and hands painted in shades of gray. Interestingly, this is not just an artistic preference. Sherald explains that choosing grayscale instead of natural skin tones is her way of resisting narrow ideas about race that confine how people see the sitter.

This art-inspired Anne Hathaway photoshoot does an amazing job of echoing the subjects of the paintings, as well as their atmosphere and message. However, it also received some negative comments about the lighting and color balance, which led some to question the work of photographer Annie Leibovitz. Still, what stands out most is the way art, fashion, and photography come together to create bold and original photographs.