Fashion photographer Oliviero Toscani, known for 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 he had been suffering from amyloidosis, a rare incurable condition that affects vital organs and nerves, for at least a year.
“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 an Instagram post.
On Friday, Toscani was admitted to a hospital in Cecina, near his home in Tuscany, in serious condition.
In an interview with Italian newspaper Corriere del Sella last year, he said he had unintentionally lost 40 kg (88 lb) of weight.
“I don’t know how long I have left to live, but I’m not interested in this kind of life anyway,” he added.
His work drew attention to social issues, such as the AIDS pandemic, racism, war and the death penalty.
Paying tribute to his work, Benetton released a photo he took for the brand in 1989.
“To explain certain things, words just aren’t enough. You taught us that,” the spokesman said on Monday.
“Goodbye Oliviero. Keep dreaming.”
Born on February 28, 1942 in Milan, Toscani was the son of the famous photographer Corriere and attended art school in Zurich.
During his career, he worked for leading 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 he gained world recognition during his tenure as director of Benetton, where he held the position for 18 years.
His use of models of all races became the label’s calling card and popularized the “United Colors of Benetton” logo – but his provocative photos sparked controversy.
Images of the blood-soaked clothing of a soldier killed in Bosnia were featured on Benetton billboards around the world.
Its graphic use of a photo showing David Kirby, a man dying of AIDS, also prompted a boycott of the brand.
Three identical human hearts in black, white and yellow hinted at racism in fashion, while another of his ads – featuring a priest and a nun kissing – was eventually banned.
He parted ways with the brand in 2000 after controversy over its last campaign, which featured images of death row inmates with the caption “death row”.
He said his campaigns, which touched on topics such as human rights, religion and racism, were designed to raise awareness of specific issues.
“I use clothes 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, successful. None of that really exists,” he said.
In 2007, his photo of a French model Isabelle Caro because the fashion brand’s anti-anorexia campaign made headlines.
Her emaciated face and emaciated body, ravaged by an eating disorder, were displayed on billboards and in newspapers during Milan Fashion Week. The campaign coincided with growing concern over the use of excessively thin models on the catwalk.
The image, taken for fashion house Nolita, has been banned in several countries, including Italy, but sparked a heated debate online after it went viral.
Toscani continued to work for Benetton in 2017, but three years later the group cut ties with him after he downplayed Morandi bridge disaster in which 43 people died.
He is survived by his wife and three children Rocco, Lola and Ali.
