Rihanna covers the Summer 2026 issue of EE72 Magazine, the debut issue of the publication launched by longtime collaborator Edward Enninful, photographed by Hungarian artist Szilveszter Makó and styled by Enninful himself. The images landed on social media this week and immediately cut through the noise. One fan’s comment, “Mona Lisa ain’t touching this,” spread fast, which says something about what the photographs actually look like. They look less like fashion photography and more like oil paintings, surreal, textured, and composed with the kind of precision that makes you look twice at every detail.
The Process
Rather than relying on digital post-production, Makó used an artisanal approach, hand-painting physical backdrops and sketching directly over the final photographs to give the imagery a textured, museum-grade canvas feel. Makó’s work takes inspiration from art history, specifically Surrealism and grotesque art, through chiaroscuro light effects and contrasting earth tones. A former painter, he brings that sensibility directly into photography, building handmade props from recycled materials and constructing theatrical environments that give each shoot its own distinct world. The result is imagery that is immediately recognisable as his, difficult to confuse with anyone else working right now.
The concept, developed with Enninful, uses a collective archetype approach rather than having Rihanna embody a single historical figure, drawing on the idea of Black legacy and modern royalty without reducing it to biography. Two covers were produced: one in Jonathan Anderson’s Dior, the other in Alessandro Michele’s Valentino Spring/Summer 2026 Haute Couture. Both are worth the full page.
Who Makó Is
Milan-based and Hungary-born, Makó has photographed Cate Blanchett, Willem Dafoe, Anya Taylor-Joy, Elle Fanning, Michelle Yeoh, and Bad Bunny, a roster that reflects how quickly he has moved from editorial interest to genuine in-demand status. The Rihanna shoot confirms what the fashion world has been saying quietly for the past year: Szilveszter Makó is one of the most original image-makers currently working in fashion photography. The paintings agree.
