Oliviero Toscani, the celebrated fashion photographer renowned for his provocative advertising campaigns for Italian clothing brand Benetton, has died at the age of 82.
Toscani, who revealed last year that he was battling amyloidosis, a rare and incurable condition affecting vital organs and nerves, passed away on January 13, 2025, as confirmed by his wife Kirsti in an Instagram post.
Toscani was hospitalized in Cecina near his Tuscan home last Friday in critical condition.
In a previous interview with Corriere della Sera, he spoke candidly about his health challenges, including an unintentional weight loss of 40 kilograms, expressing acceptance of his condition.
Born on February 28, 1942, in Milan, Toscani was the son of a prominent Corriere della Sera photographer and studied art in Zurich.
He built an illustrious career working with fashion magazines like Vogue and GQ and capturing cultural icons such as Andy Warhol, John Lennon, and Federico Fellini.
Toscani also played a pivotal role in launching the modeling career of Monica Bellucci.
However, it was his 18-year tenure as art director at Benetton that cemented his global fame.
Toscani’s campaigns for the brand, including the iconic “United Colors of Benetton,” challenged conventional advertising by tackling social issues such as racism, AIDs, war, and the death penalty.
His work was both celebrated and controversial.
Notable campaigns included the blood-stained uniform of a soldier killed in Bosnia, the haunting image of AIDs patient David Kirby, and a powerful visual of three human hearts labeled by race.
His 1991 campaign featuring a priest and nun kissing and his later portrayal of death row inmates further fueled debates about the boundaries of advertising.
Though Toscani claimed his campaigns were meant to provoke thought and raise awareness, they often sparked boycotts and bans.
“I exploit clothing to raise social issues,” Toscani told Reuters, challenging the traditional advertising ethos of promising unattainable ideals.
In 2007, his stark photograph of anorexic model Isabelle Caro for an anti-anorexia campaign ignited fierce global debates about body image in fashion.
The image, though banned in several countries, underscored the industry’s growing scrutiny of unhealthy beauty standards.
Toscani briefly reunited with Benetton in 2017, but the collaboration ended three years later following controversial comments he made about the Morandi Bridge disaster in Italy.
Benetton paid tribute to Toscani by releasing one of his iconic 1989 photographs, stating, “Farewell Oliviero. Keep on dreaming.”
Toscani is survived by his wife Kirsti and their three children, Rocco, Lola, and Ali.
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