Olivero Toscani, an Italian photographer who used images of AIDS patients and death row inmates to break the boundaries of fashion imagery as the creative mastermind behind Benetton’s advertising campaigns, died Monday. He was 82 years old.
His death was announced by his family. Instagram. He did not say where he died or the cause of death, but Mr Toscani said in August told Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera with whom he was diagnosed. amyloidosisa rare and incurable condition in which protein accumulates.
His Shock and awe campaigns Helped transform Benetton from a small Italian brand into a global fashion powerhouse in the 1980s and 90s. Provocative Ads that blur the lines between marketing and functionality, high art and consumer industry.
In one ad, an AIDS patient lies on his back, his mouth open, his hands folded across his chest. His dark eyes darted past his family, who were gathered around his deathbed. The patient, David Kirby, Almost looked like Christ..
And there, at the bottom right, A few words are hanging in the green box.: “Benetton’s United Colors.”
The ad, which ran in the 1990s, was one of the most provocative and divisive in recent fashion history, sparking heated debate over whether Benetton, and Mr. Toscani, were creating art. were engaging or exploiting the epidemic to sell their clothes.
In particular, there was Mr. Toscani Courtesy of the Kirby Family To use a color version of the photo, shot in 1990 by photographer Therese Freire. Kirbys said the campaign has helped spread awareness about AIDS.
“Benetton didn’t use us, or exploit us,” the Kirby family said, adding that it was a way to get their son’s image “out in the world, and that’s exactly what David wanted.”
Mr. Toscani’s ads were often socially progressive, featuring images of ethnically diverse and gay families. They were also meant to shock. He used images of the company of horses. He used bloody. The uniform An ad for a soldier killed in Bosnia-Herzegovina featured actors dressed as a priest and kissing a nun.
He said that advertising agencies earn crores by repeating the same old thing. told “We try to go the other way,” added the New York Times in 1995.
Mr. Toscani sometimes crossed the line even for Benetton. He joined the company in 1982 and left in 2000 amid an uproar over an ad campaign that featured his photos. Death row inmates across the US.
He returned as creative director in 2017. But his career at Benetton ended in 2020, not the calculated and bold risks he took in photography and advertising, in which he reveled in his broad challenges to traditional notions of respectability. Rather, it was because of an unusual comment he made in a radio interview. Bridge collapses in Italy In which more than 40 people died. “Who cares if a bridge collapses?” He said. Although he apologized, Benetton fired him.
Italian Politician And creative Leaders paid tribute to him on social media on Monday. Designer Valentino Garvani, creator of Valentino, Called him “A visionary who challenged the world through his lens.” Designer Giorgio Armani wrote that “his directness of language and visual impact set a standard.”
Olivero Toscani was born on February 28, 1942 in Milan. He followed in the footsteps of his father, Fidele Toscani, who was a photojournalist. Mr. Toscani trained at the Zurich School of Applied Arts and worked as a fashion designer before joining the Benetton Group as art director in 1982.
He is survived by his wife, Christy Musing Toscani, and their three children, Rocco, Lola and Ali. Mr Toscani had been married twice before and had three more children. Complete information about the survivors was not immediately available.
In his final months, Mr. Toscani told Corriere della Sera that he had lost weight during treatment. amyloidosis And that it had lost its taste. He said the wine tasted different to him. “I have no interest in living like this,” he added.
But in September, he Did you travel? to the Museum für Gestaltung Zurich For an important past His work is titled “Olivero Toscani: Photography and Provocation”. It closed just a week before his death.
“I’ve found that advertising is the richest and most powerful medium today,” he said told In 1991 The Times. “So I feel responsible for doing more than just saying, ‘Our sweater is beautiful.’
Elisabetta Povoledo And Mathew Empokbig Cooperation reporting.