Death of famous photographer Oliviero Toscani

Renowned Italian photographer Oliviero Toscani has died at the age of 82, after battling a serious illness, the family announced via the Ansa news agency. Toscani is internationally recognized for his bold advertising campaigns for fashion brand Benetton.

His family said Oliviero had “begun his final journey”. Benetton shared: “To explain certain things, words are not enough.” They also posted a photo of Toscani from 1989, showing a bouquet of flowers, accompanied by the message: “Ciao Oliviero. Dream again.” The president of Tuscany, where Toscani lived his final days, called him “a master of photography and a free spirit.” “His genius will continue to inspire us,” noted Eugenio Giani on social networks.

He recently suffered from an incurable illness.

Last August, Toscani revealed in an interview that he suffered from amyloidosis, a rare disease that causes organ dysfunction. “Practically, proteins accumulate in essential places and block the body. We end up dying. There is no treatment,” explained the photographer, who recently tried experimental therapy.

Toscani had worked for more than 15 years on advertising campaigns for Benetton in the 1980s and 1990s, before their collaboration ended. He was often criticized for choosing provocative images – including anorexic models, AIDS patients and death row inmates. After a brief comeback, the brand stopped working with Toscani in 2020.

Shocking photographs that shook consciences.

His works, representing a priest and a nun kissing, a bloody newborn still connected to the umbilical cord, or an AIDS patient on his deathbed, caused a scandal. His photos of condoms of all colors also made an impression. Toscani has exhibited his works in numerous galleries around the world, including Germany.