Oliviero Toscani, famous photographer and brilliant communications innovator, has died at the age of 82. Creator of iconic and provocative campaigns, he marked an era with his social and artistic vision
He died at the age of 82 Oliviero Toscanifamous photographer and brilliant communications innovator. To give it awayThe family announced it in a press release.: “It is with immense sadness that we announce that today our beloved Oliviero has embarked on his next journey. We ask for confidentiality and understanding to face this moment in the privacy of the family. Kirsti Toscani with Rocco, Lola and Ali.
Tuscans he had been hospitalized since January 10 in the intensive care unit of Cecina Hospital, in the province of Livorno, due to worsening of your condition linked to amyloidosisa rare systemic disease diagnosed about a year and a half ago. His wife, aware of the seriousness of the situation, declared that it was now a “road of no return”. The artist, with his direct and unfiltered mind, had spoke openly about his strugglestating that he did not fear death but wanted to continue living with the same intensity that had always characterized his life.
“In one year, I lost 40 kilos. I can’t even drink wine anymore: the taste is altered by the drugs,” he said, explaining that he had undergone an experimental treatment. However, the fear of death had never touched him. “As long as it doesn’t hurt. And then I have lived too much and too well, I am very spoiled. I never had a boss, a salary, I was always free.” In September, during one of his last public appearances, he flew to Zurich to visit his Photography and Provocation exhibition at the Museum für Gestaltung, symbol of his artistic and provocative heritage.
On the future, he speaks with his usual visionary enthusiasm: “Who knows, I’m thinking of the cosmos, the universe, the stars. When we understand all this, well, that will be the future. »
Toscani: career and revolution in communication
Oliviero Toscani was much more than a photographer: he was a revolutionary in visual communication. Born in Milan on February 28, 1942son of the first photojournalist of Corriere della Sera, trained at the University of the Arts in Zurich, where he studied photography and graphics from 1961 to 1965. His career led him to collaborate with the most prestigious international brandsincluding Chanel, Esprit, Fiorucci, and to create iconic campaigns pour United Colors of Benetton.
From 1982 to 2000, Tuscans revolutionized the way of advertisingusing his images to respond high-impact social issues such as AIDS, racism, integration and the death penalty. His collaboration with Benetton allowed him to transform the brand into a symbol of social commitment and tolerance. Campaigns such as the kiss between a priest and a nun, the faces of those condemned to death or the body of an anorexic model have shaken consciences and sparked debates around the world.
In 1991 creation of Colors magazinededicated to the themes of globalization and inequalities, and created Fabrica in 1994, an international research center on modern communication.
Oliviero Toscani was known for his irreverent spirit and ability to break the mold. “It’s not an image that makes history for you, it’s an ethical, aesthetic, political choice to make with your work,” he liked to say. His autobiographical book, I made all the colors, published in 2022, is a manifesto of his philosophy of life and his creative vision.
Even in recent years, Toscani has continued to work and fight for his ideas. Among his last public appearances, the Photography and Provocation exhibition at the Museum für Gestaltung in Zurich, a tribute to his career and his social commitment.
Oliviero Toscani: prizes and distinctions
Throughout his career, Toscani received numerous international awardsincluding four Golden Lions at the Cannes Film Festival, the UNESCO Grand Prix and the Saatchi & Saatchi Creative Hero Award. He was an honorary academician of Fine Arts in Florence and Perugia and received honorary degrees from prestigious institutions.
His works were exhibited in emblematic places such as the Venice Biennale, the Milan Triennale and modern art museums around the world. THE his self-portrait is kept in the Vasari corridor of the Uffizi Gallery in Florence which was recently reopened to the public.
