Oliviero Toscani, a world-famous Italian photographer, died on Monday after a serious illness. He became famous as the author of widely discussed, sometimes shocking advertising campaigns in which he referred to socially important topics. He helped the model Monica Bellucci start her career, and also photographed such icons as Andy Warhol, John Lennon and Federico Fellini.
His family announced the artist's death. Oliviero Toscani died at the age of 82. Last August, the artist revealed that he suffers from amyloidosis. It is a rare and incurable disease that attacks organs and nerves. This disease involves the abnormal accumulation of insoluble proteins – amyloids – in tissues and organs. This causes chronic inflammation in the body.
On Friday, the artist was taken to a hospital in Tuscany in a serious condition, where he died on Monday.
“It is with great sadness that we announce that today, January 13, 2025, our beloved Oliviero set off on another journey,” his wife Kirsti wrote in an Instagram post.
Oliviero ToscaniPAP/EPA
Oliviero Toscani was born in Milan in 1942. His father, Fedele, was a photojournalist for the Corriere della Sera daily. Oliviero also made his debut in this newspaper at the age of 14, publishing his photo from the funeral of Benito Mussolini in Predappio, where he went with his father (the dictator's funeral took place a few years after his death).
He studied photography in Zurich, and immediately after finishing his studies in Switzerland, he created the first advertising campaign for a famous ice cream company. Then he worked for magazines such as “Elle”, “Vogue”, “Harper's Bazaar”, “Esquire”, “Stern” and luxury fashion brands, including Valentino and Chanel. He helped model Monica Bellucci start her career.
He also photographed such cultural icons as Andy Warhol, John Lennon and Federico Fellini.
He was provocative and touched upon socially important topics
In 1982, Toscani began cooperation with the Italian clothing company Benetton, in whose high-profile advertising campaigns he touched upon social issues: racial equality, mafia influence, the fight against homophobia, combating the spread of AIDS, peace, and the abolition of the death penalty. Large billboards with photos relating to this topic were placed on the streets, which often sparked a wide discussion. For example, the bloody clothes of a soldier killed in Bosnia appeared on the company's billboards around the world.
His provocative photos also caused controversy, but – as he argued – they were intended to raise awareness of certain problems. – I use clothes to raise social issues – Toscani once pointed out in an interview for Reuters. – Traditional advertising says that if you buy a certain product, you will be beautiful, sexually confident, and successful. All this nonsense doesn't really exist, he said.
Toscani broke off cooperation with Benetton in 2000 after his controversial campaign in which he used real photographs of people sentenced to death in the US, which sparked retaliation from that country against the company.
However, he returned to work for the brand in 2017, but three years later his contract was terminated after he downplayed the importance of disaster on the Morandi Bridge in Italy, in which 43 people died.
Oliviero Toscani raised socially important topics in his campaigns. Here is one of his works (the inscription on the poster means: sentenced to death)Reuters
The photographer also created, in cooperation with the police, a campaign for road safety under the slogan “Thou shalt not kill”.
He also shocked in 2007 when he prepared a campaign warning against anorexia for a new fashion brand. He used a photo of the dying model and actress Isabelle Caro.
He was also politically involved and tried to get into parliament.
BBC, PAP, tvn24.pl, Reuters
Main photo source: PAP/EPA