Oliviero Toscani, Benetton’s shock photographer, dies aged 82

Fashion photographer Oliviero Toscani, known for his shocking advertising campaigns for Italian clothing brand Benetton, has died at the age of 82, his family has confirmed.

The brand’s former artistic director revealed last year that he suffered from amyloidosis, a rare and incurable disease that affects the body’s vital organs and nerves.

“It is with great sadness that we announce the news that today, January 13, 2025, our beloved Oliviero has embarked on his next journey,” Toscani’s wife, Kirsti, said in a message on Instagram.

Toscani was hospitalized on Friday in Cecina, near his Tuscan country home, in serious condition.

In an interview with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera last year, he said he had unintentionally lost 40 kg (88 lb).

“I don’t know how long I have to live, but I’m not interested in living like this anyway,” he added.

His work has drawn attention to social themes such as the AIDS pandemic, racism, war and the death penalty.

Paying tribute to his work, Benetton released a photograph he took for the brand in 1989.

“To explain certain things, words are simply not enough. You taught us that,” a spokesperson said on Monday.

“Goodbye Oliviero. Keep dreaming.”

Born February 28, 1942 in Milan, Toscani was the son of a famous Corriere photographer and attended art school in Zurich.

Throughout his career, he has worked for major fashion magazines, including Vogue and GQ, and helped launch the career of model Monica Bellucci.

He has photographed cultural icons such as Andy Warhol, John Lennon and Federico Fellini.

But it was during his tenure as director at Benetton, a position he held for 18 years, that he gained worldwide recognition.

Her use of models of all races became the brand’s calling card and popularized the “United Colors of Benetton” logo – but her provocative photos stoked controversy.

Images of the blood-soaked clothes of a soldier killed in Bosnia have been featured on Benetton billboards around the world.

Its graphic use of a photo depicting David Kirby, a man dying of AIDS, also prompted a boycott of the brand.

Three identical human hearts labeled black, white and yellow alluded to fashionable racism, while another of its adverts – showing a priest and a nun kissing – was eventually banned.

He parted ways with the brand in 2000 following controversies surrounding his last campaign, which featured images of prisoners on death row, captioned “death row”.

He said his campaigns, which touched on topics such as human rights, religion and racism, aimed to raise awareness of certain issues.

“I exploit clothing to raise social issues,” Toscani told Reuters in an interview at the time, as debate erupted over whether the campaign had gone too far.

“Traditional advertising says that if you buy a certain product you will be beautiful, sexually powerful and successful. All of that doesn’t really exist,” he said.

In 2007, her photo as a French model Isabelle Caro for a fashion brand’s anti-anorexia campaign made headlines.

Her gaunt face and emaciated body, ravaged by the eating disorder, were featured on billboards and in newspapers during Milan fashion week. The campaign coincided with growing concern over the use of overly thin models on the catwalk.

The image, taken for fashion house Nolita, was banned in several countries, including Italy, but sparked heated debate online after going viral.

Toscani began working for Benetton again in 2017, but three years later the group severed ties with him after he downplayed the project. Morandi Bridge disaster which left 43 dead.

He is survived by his wife and three children Rocco, Lola and Ali.