Sat undressed in bed wearing Minnie Mouse ears and pulling a goofy expression, a 29-year-old Madonna appears to be completely at ease in front of the camera. Maybe that's because she was in the capable hands of Herb Ritts - widely considered one of the top photographers in the world until his death from AIDS in 2002 at the age of 50. The candid black-and-white portrait of Madonna is just one of dozens to be featured in a new hotly-anticipated exhibit of Ritts' work at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston opening tomorrow. Other celebrity subjects include everyone from a sultry Claudia Schiffer to a vest-wearing Richard Gere. Scroll down for video . The artist that Herb Ritts collaborated with most frequently was Madonna, whose whimsical Madonna, Tokyo (1987) was taken in her hotel when the Who’s That Girl World Tour opened in Japan . Hold that pose: Ritts shoots often happened in the afternoon on the roof of his studio on LA's Santa Monica Boulevard, where this was shot of Naomi Campbelll was taken in 1990 . Bevvy of beauties: One of Ritts’ most famous images is Stephanie, Cindy, Christy, Tatjana, Naomi, Hollywood (1989) was taken at the end of a long day photographing a fashion editorial assignment for Rolling Stone . The retrospective revisits the legendary artist, whose groundbreaking 1996 show at the MFA, Herb Ritts: WORK, remains one of the most highly attended events in museum history with more than 253,000 visitors. According to the New York Times, though some have called Ritts 'formulaic, he 'belongs in the tradition of Richard Avedon, Louise Dahl-Wolfe and Irving Penn.' With a career that began in the late 1970's, the California-born Angelino rose to fame with his portraits and editorial shoots of fashion stars and celebrities. Ritts pointed his lens at Madonna, Michael Jackson, Julia Roberts and Tom Cruise to name but a few of the famous faces he snapped, publishing his work in such publications as Vogue, Vanity Fair, Interview and Rolling Stone. One of his sitter, Cindy Crawfiord once said of his work: 'There was something magical about when you stepped in front of his camera and what happened then. This give-and-take, and that’s what makes it fun. Come hither: Claudia Schiffer struck a sultry pose for Ritts in 1992 . Muscle man: Sylvester Stallone demonstrates his strength as he lifts Brigitte Nielsen on the beach in Long Island in 1987 . Globetrotter: Ritts also worked with Turlington on a Gianni Versace advertising campaign, which took them to the dry Mojave Desert lakebed known as El Mirage, where the vast open space gave him a sense of creative freedom . All about timing: He used the gusts of a rising storm to coax a swath of fabric into an arch over the model’s head in Versace Dress, Back View, El Mirage (1990) Fashions of the day: Mick Jagger photographed in 1987 at home in London, left, and a vest-wearing Richard Gear in 1978, right . 'I’ve had the opportunity to work with Helmut Newton to Avedon to Penn but probably the images that are the most timeless of me, most of them, were shot by Herb and are some of my favorite images of myself.' Crawford appears in one of Ritts’ most famous images, Stephanie, Cindy, Christy, Tatjana, Naomi, Hollywood (1989). Taken at the end of a long day photographing a fashion editorial assignment for Rolling Stone, the image also includes Stephanie Seymour, Tatjana Patitz, Naomi Campbell and Christy Turlington. The bevvy of supermodels appear naked sat huddled in a group together. Ritts applied this signature simplicity of composition and strength of form to advertising campaigns for Calvin Klein, Chanel and Gianni Versace among others, that are still instantly recognizable today. Monochrome: Ritts applied his signature simplicity of composition and strength of form to advertising campaigns for Calvin Klein, Chanel and Gianni Versace among others, that are still instantly recognizable today . Action shot: And in the late Eighties, he turned his attention to the moving image directing adverts and music videos to huge critical acclaim . Can you guess who it is? Michael Jordan took a statuesque stance for Ritts in 1993 . And in the late Eighties, he turned his attention to the moving image directing adverts and music videos to huge critical acclaim. Paul Martineau, who previously curated a Los Angeles exhibit, once described Ritts as an impulsive photographer. 'He wasn’t someone who had everything scripted,' he told the New York Times. 'He approached shoots organically.' Of the works on view in the upcoming exhibit, 15 are from a recent gift from the Herb Ritts Foundation. This, and previous gifts from Ritts and the Foundation dating back to 2000, allow the museum to tell the full story of Ritts’ career, and comprise the largest museum holdings of Ritts photographs in the world - 248 in total. The exhibition explores every aspect of the photographer’s career, and is divided into two sections: one dedicated to the human body and one dedicated to his photographs of celebrity personalities. The exhibition will open on March 14 and run through to November 8 at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Portraiture: Dizzy Gillespie, Paris, 1989 (left) and Tony with Black Face, 1986 (right) Leading ladies: Tatjana Veiled Head, Tight View, Joshua Tree (left) and Christy Turlington, Hollywood, 1988 (right) Candid moments: Nelson Mandela, Johannesburg, 1994 (left) and Bruce Springsteen, New York, 1992 (right)
The cameraman was widely considered one of the top photographers in the world until his death from AIDS in 2002 . A new exhibit of Ritts' work opens at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston on March 14 . Many of the images were taken during the Nineties, with celebrity subjects including everyone from a sultry Claudia Schiffer to a vest-wearing Richard Gere .