MEXICO CITY.- 'WOMEN: New Portraits', an exhibition of newly commissioned photographs by renowned photographer Annie Leibovitz will open to the public in Mexico City on 8 July 2016, in Proyecto Publico Prim, Colonia Juarez, as part of a 10-city global tour.

Leibovitz's new work is a continuation of a project that began over fifteen years ago when her most enduringly popular series of photographs, 'Women', was published in 1999. Susan Sontag, with whom the original project was a collaboration, called it "a work in progress". 'WOMEN: New Portraits' will reflect the changes in the roles of women today and will evolve over the coming year as a body of work.

The new portraits feature women of outstanding achievement including artists, musicians, CEOs, politicians, writers and philanthropists. In addition to the new photographs, the exhibition includes work from the original series, as well as other unpublished photographs taken since.

Annie Leibovitz said: "When I asked UBS about updating the WOMEN project there was no hesitation. They said let's do it, and they have been extraordinary in every way. It is such a big undertaking and a broad subject, it is like going out and photographing the ocean."

Tom Naratil, President UBS Americas, said: "This partnership is a great fit for UBS. As the largest wealth manager in the world, many of our clients are the most successful leaders in their industries, and so it seemed natural to partner with Annie, whose career and distinguished body of work is unrivaled among today's portrait photographers. After an incredibly successful exhibition of 'WOMEN: New Portraits' in San Francisco earlier this year, we are delighted to welcome back to North America this unique project that showcases and celebrates women who are at the top of their fields."

Damian Fraser, Country Head, Mexico said: "Annie Leibovitz is a leading creative figure and we are delighted to be bringing this exhibition of newly-commissioned photographs celebrating women to Mexico City. In keeping the project as inclusive as possible, the exhibition is free as will be accompanying educational programmes which comprise events for families and students. Alongside the Guggenheim UBS MAP Global Art Initiative exhibition earlier this year this tour builds on UBS's long-standing support of initiatives which help encourage participation in contemporary culture."

Aligned with the focus UBS places on education, the free learning programmes accompanying the exhibition will explore ways of seeing through photography, working with young people in local communities. In Mexico City, these programmes will include workshops with photography students and on weekends free family programs will be presented. A Teachers' Guide produced in partnership with the International Center of Photography in New York and a Children's Activity Guide are available to teachers and the public on the exhibition website. UBS are also presenting a talks programme, 'Women for Women' through 2016, addressing topics of global and local relevance to women's rights.

Annie Leibovitz (b. 1949) has been making powerful images documenting popular culture since the early 1970s, when she began working as a photojournalist for Rolling Stone. She became the magazine's chief photographer in 1973, and ten years later began working for Vanity Fair and then Vogue. Her large and distinguished body of work encompasses some of the best-known portraits of our time. Exhibitions of Leibovitz's work have been shown at museums and galleries around the world, including the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C.; the International Center of Photography in New York; the Brooklyn Museum; the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam; the National Portrait Gallery in London; and the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia. Her work is held in museum collections from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; and the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington D.C. to the National Portrait Gallery in London. She has published several collections of photographs and is the recipient of many honours. In 2006 she was made a 'Commandeur' in the 'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres' by the French government. In 2009, she received the International Center of Photography's Lifetime Achievement Award, the first Creative Excellence Award from the American Society of Magazine Editors, and the Centenary Medal of the Royal Photographic Society in London. In 2012, she was the recipient of the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art Award to Distinguished Women in the Arts and the Wexner Prize. In 2013 she received the Prince of Asturias Award for Communication and Humanities. In 2015 she received SFMoMA's Contemporary Vision Award. She has been designated a Living Legend by the Library of Congress.