Toscani died after battling terminal illness.
Oliviero Toscani, the Italian photographer famed for his provocative advertising campaigns for fashion brand Benetton, died on Monday at the age of 82.
Toscani, who was diagnosed with the terminal disease amyloidosis two years ago, died in hospital at Cecina near Livorno in the central Italian region of Tuscany, his family said.
The Milan photographer, who courted controversy for his United Colors of Benetton campaigns from 1982 to 2000, told Corriere della Sera last year that he wanted to remembered “not for any one photo but for my whole work, for the commitment”.
Toscani’s work for Benetton shook up the advertising world, using visually striking images and addressing contentious social issues including race, war, religion and sexuality.
A pioneer of “shockvertising”, Toscani used shocking and provocative images to grab the public’s attention and spur debate on important social issues, helping to make Benetton a global brand.
Toscani’s campaigns often did not even feature Benetton products, focusing instead on powerful images and raising awareness about issues such as AIDS, the death penalty and racism.
One of his most famous and controversial campaigns for Benetton featured a photo, by Therese Frare, of AIDS sufferer David Kirby dying in hospital, surrounded by his grieving relatives.
The picture, published in 1992, sparked controversy as it drew comparisons with a compassiona work of art depicting the Virgin Mary cradling the dead body of Jesus Christ.
“If you can stimulate a discussion among your audience, it’s always to your benefit”, Toscani told The New York Times in 1991, the same year he attracted the ire of the Vatican over an advertising campaign featuring a kiss between a nun and a priest.
In addition to his work with Benetton, Toscani has had a long and varied career in photography, working with fashion magazines such as Elle, Vogue, Esquire and Harper’s Bazaar.
He also exhibited his work in museums around the world.
Photo: Elio Villa / Shutterstock.com.
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