Benetton’s shocking photographer Oliviero Toscani dies at 82

Fashion photographer Oliveiro Toscani, best 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 art director revealed that last year he was diagnosed with amyloidosis, a rare incurable condition 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 Oliveiro has set out on his next journey,” Toscani’s wife Kirsty said in a post on Instagram.

Toscani was admitted to hospital in Cecina, near his Tuscan country home, in serious condition on Friday.

Last year, in an interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere del Sella, he said that he had inadvertently lost 40 kilograms (88 lb).

He said, “I don’t know how long I have left to live, but I have no interest in living like this.”

His work drew attention to social topics such as the AIDS epidemic, racism, war, and the death penalty.

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

“Words are not enough to explain some things. You taught us that,” a spokesperson said Monday.

“Farewell Olivero. Keep dreaming.”

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

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

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

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

His use of models of all races became the label’s calling card and popularized the “United Colors of Benetton” logo – but his provocative photographs sparked controversy.

Pictures of the bloodied clothes of a soldier killed in Bosnia were shown on Benetton billboards around the world.

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

Three identical human hearts with black, white and yellow labels allude to racism in fashion, while another of their advertisements – depicting a priest and nun kissing – was ultimately banned.

He parted ways with the brand in 2000 following controversies over his last campaign, which featured photographs of death row inmates, titled “Death Penalty”.

He has said that his campaigns, which touched on topics such as human rights, religion and racism, were designed to raise awareness about certain issues.

“I use clothes to raise social issues,” Toscani told Reuters in an interview at the time, as debate raged over whether the campaign went too far.

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

Her photo in 2007 was of a French model isabel caro A fashion label’s anti-anorexia campaign made headlines.

Her gaunt face and emaciated body, disfigured by an eating disorder, were shown on billboards and in newspapers during Milan Fashion Week. This campaign co-occurred with an increase in concern about the use of excessively thin models on the catwalk.

The photo, shot for fashion house Nolita, was banned in many countries including Italy, but sparked heated debate online after it went viral.

Toscani resumed working for Benetton in 2017, but three years later, the group cut ties with him after he downplayed Benetton’s importance. Morandi Bridge Disaster in which 43 people died.

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