Robert Longo's series "Men in the Cities," created in the late 1970s and early 1980s, has influenced photographers for decades. The series, which depicts men and women in business attire contorted in extreme positions, began as photographs taken by Longo on his rooftop. 

The artist then created large-scale charcoal and graphite drawings from the photographs. Longo, who works in a wide range of media including sculpture, painting, drawing, photography, and film, has a virtuoso talent for evoking complex themes with simple, powerful imagery. 

His graphic style and ability to distill images to a minimum of elements were what led Bottega Veneta Creative Director Tomas Maier to seek him out for the Fall-Winter 2010/2011 campaign.