Anthony Bourdain, Annie Leibovitz Named Honorees at 2012 CLIO Awards; Joan Rivers to Host

Photographer Annie Leibovitz and chef, author and television host Anthony Bourdain will receive honorary CLIO Awards at the 53rd Annual CLIO Awards, taking place at New York's American Museum of Natural History on Tuesday, May 15th at 6:30 PM. The CLIO Awards, which celebrate creative professionals in the advertising, design and communications industries, also recognize visionaries in fields as diverse as photography, fashion, food, travel, literature and film.   Leibovitz and Bourdain will be honored for their outstanding bodies of work, which have encouraged people around the world to think differently. Comedy icon Joan Rivers will host the event. 

"Annie Leibovitz and Anthony Bourdain work in two very different fields, but share two common threads between them: their boundless creativity and their usage of their respective mediums to affect the way people think," said CLIO Director Karl Vontz. "Annie's work for magazines such as Vanity Fair and Vogue and her many international museum exhibitions have changed the way people around the world appreciate photography. Similarly, through his books and Travel Channel show, 'Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations,' Anthony has introduced millions of taste-buds to new culinary experiences and dared people to be more adventurous diners." 

Annie Leibovitz's large and distinguished body of work encompasses some of the most well-known portraits of our time. Since beginning her career as a photojournalist for Rolling Stone magazine in 1970, while she was still a student at the San Francisco Art Institute, her pictures have appeared on hundreds of magazine covers. 

Chef Anthony Bourdain is currently "chef at large" at New York City's famed Brasserie Les Halles.  An acclaimed author (Kitchen Confidential, Medium Raw, among others), he is widely known for his hit Travel Channel shows, "Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations" and "The Layover." His writing has also appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Times of London, Gourmet, Black Book and The Independent, and Food Arts magazine.  

Joan Rivers has enjoyed an illustrious career spanning more than four decades. She is currently on E! Entertainment Television hosting the network's popular franchise "Fashion Police," covering red carpet style for the annual awards season, as well as hosting E!'s popular "Fashion Police" weekly series. Joan has also taken over the reality TV circuit with her daughter Melissa in their weekly series on WEtv, called "Joan and Melissa: Joan Knows Best?"  This ultimate mother/daughter duo address the question plaguing daughters since the beginning of time: does mother really know best?  

Tickets to the 53rd Annual CLIO Awards can be purchased atwww.clioawards.com  or by calling 212.493.4036. For more information on the CLIO Awards, please visit www.clioawards.com and follow CLIO at:  Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook,  Pinterest and  Tumblr.