Francesco Scavullo: "Nudes" Hits the Shelves

Francesco Scavullo has always been known for his amazing talents with a camera, especially when it came to shooting some of the world’s most popular celebrities. Now Scavullo has taken his art one step further, placing some of his most prized photographs of nude celebrities and models in his new book, which is appropriately entitled "Nudes." In fact, the invitation to the book’s signing party offered the privileged guests a peek into the content of his work. The sultry invitation contains a photograph of a nude, 21-year-old Rene Russo, which was taken by Scavullo in 1975, when the silver screen beauty was still a budding model.

Scavullo recently reported that he obtained Russo’s permission to publish the picture when it was first taken in 1975 and then recently re-requested the star’s permission to use her image at the premiere of "The Thomas Crown Affair." Scavullo indicated that Russo was more than willing to allow the photographer to use her image for his invitations and she told him, "You can put me on the side of a barn. You can do whatever you want with that picture. I love you." Kind words from a beautiful woman.

Other beauties included in Scavullo’s work include Cindy Crawford, Claudia Schiffer, Brooke Shields, Christy Turlington, Naomi Campbell, Jerry Hall, Amber Smith, Karen Mulder, and Kate Moss, to name a few. Some male stars also made the pages of Scavullo’s piece, ensuring that this will be an enjoyable "read" for any who dare.