Known for his committed campaigns, notably in collaboration with the United Colors of Benetton brand, photographer Oliviero Toscani died at the age of 82. A look back at 3 emblematic photos of the Milanese.
Oliviero Toscani is no more. The iconic Italian photographer, notably known for his shocking advertising campaigns for the United Colors of Benetton brand, died at the age of 82, following a long illness, amyloidosis, this Monday, January 13, 2025. It is with immense sadness that we announce the news, our beloved Oliviero has embarked on his next journey,” his family wrote in a statement.
Born in 1942 in Milan, Oliviero Toscani has become an emblematic figure in photography and advertising over the years. He has notably collaborated with La Croix Rouge, Chanel, Toyota, and the Inter Milan football club. “I hate artistic photography,” he proclaimed in 2010. Indeed, throughout his entire career, he never stopped giving another meaning to his work. “Overall, for commitment, it is not a photo that makes history, it is an ethical, aesthetic and political choice,” he indicated in the columns of Il Corriere.
1991: the sulfurous kiss between a nun and a priest
Provocative, ahead of his time and totally uninhibited, he particularly left his mark thanks to an incisive and often particularly poignant communication strategy, without being afraid of scandalizing, to the point of being censored in his own country and beyond Italian borders.
AIDS, racism, tolerance, various struggles… No subject scares him, and that’s also what is disturbing. In 1991, he signed the very notable “Priest and run” campaign for the Benetton brand. We can see the kiss of a nun and a priest which will shock when it comes out. With this type of campaign, Toscani wants to exploit divisive social issues and raise awareness. Is carnal pleasure incompatible with religious principles?A proposal which aroused the indignation of the Catholic Church. Last summer, he confided to Corriere della Sera to have “always been free”. “I have lived too much, lived too well, I am spoiled. I have never had a master, a salary,” he explained. Proof of a certain perspective on his career.
1989: Toscani and the fight against racism
Still for Benetton, two years earlier, in 1989, he decided to represent a pair of hands (one white and one black), linked by handcuffs. Here, Benetton and Toscani intend to fight for tolerance and respect for differences, by committing against racism, one of the duo’s main struggles in their advertising proposals.
If this advertisement is not part of the provocative visuals on the part of the Milanese, it does however contribute to the affirmation of a style and its desire to highlight strong markers, in this case, equality and struggle against racism.
2007: the “No Anorexia” scandal, banned in Italy
In 2007, Oliviero Toscani proposed a shocking advertising campaign for the Italian clothing brand No-L-ita, with a slogan “No Anorexia”. Surely the most disturbing of his career for public opinion. Theater student Isabelle Caro appears naked, skeletal and becomes a real star. She died in 2010, in Paris, after significant efforts to raise awareness about anorexia. A campaign which caused a real uproar in Italy was quite simply banned.
“The image is shocking for everyone, in particular for all patients, and is used for commercial purposes,” the president of the IAP declared to AFP (the Institute of Advertising Self-discipline), Giorgio Floridia. The Italian photographer denounced “censorship”. In France, the Advertising Verification Bureau (BVP) had advised French posters against using the visual in France.