Un Jew and a Palestinian, side by side, holding a globe, a pair of buttocks stamped HIV Positive, a priest and a nun kissing, Russian and American children playing friend-friend… Here’s a tiny glimpse photos, some of which have not aged a bit, which have punctuated the career of photographer Oliviero Toscani, who died this Monday.
Created on behalf of Benetton during the 1980s and 1990s, these militant images, disturbing for the morals of the time, went far beyond the advertising framework for which they were intended. They bluntly attacked the major fractures in society: wars, famine, religious conflicts, migration crises. So many images which, whatever one’s opinion, never leave one indifferent.
“All the colors of the world”
It all started in 1984, with a first campaign promoting ethnic diversity. On a white background, a group of young people from several origins, all dressed in the famous colorful knits, illustrates the slogan “United Colors of Benetton”, translated into French as “All the colors of the world”. A consensual ode to diversity, which won numerous awards and became, in 1989, the new name of the brand. The message is simple: whatever our differences, everyone is welcome at Benetton.
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But what was initially a joyful and consensual celebration takes, from year to year, a more frontal turn. The tone becomes more crude and provocative: we remember the three human hearts captioned white, black, yellow, photos of those condemned to death… Just as political as they are polemical, these campaigns do not mask their commercial aim. If the flagship product is gradually eradicated from the visuals, the slogan remains. United Colors of Benetton contributes to establishing the notoriety of the brand and the spectacular growth of this family business.
Having become true textbook cases, Toscani’s photos are among the first to break taboos in a framework as strict as that of advertising. They redefined its codes and left behind a question that remains as burning as ever: can we say everything?
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