Oliviero Toscani, Benetton’s wonder photographer, has died at the age of 82

Fashion photographer Oliviero Toscani, best known for his advertising campaigns for Italian clothing brand Benetton, has died aged 82, his family has confirmed.

The brand’s former art director revealed that he was at least a year old from amyloidosis, a rare incurable disease that affects the body’s organs and nerves.

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

Toscani was admitted to hospital on Friday in Cecina, near his farm in Tuscany, in critical condition.

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

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

His work focused on social issues such as the AIDS pandemic, racism, war and the death penalty.

To honor his work, Benetton released a photograph taken for the brand in 1989.

“To explain some things, words are not enough. You taught us that,” a spokesman said on Monday.

“Goodbye Oliviero. Keep dreaming.”

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

During her career, she worked for top fashion magazines such as 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 during his time as director of Benetton, which he held for 18 years, he gained worldwide recognition.

Using models of all races became the label’s calling card and popularized the “United Colors of Benetton” logo, but its provocative photos sparked controversy.

Images of the blood-soaked clothes of a soldier killed in Bosnia appeared on Benetton posters around the world.

The graphic use of a photo depicting David Kirby, a man dying of AIDS, also led to a boycott against the brand.

Three identical human hearts labeled black, white, and yellow hinted at trendy racism, and another of his ads, featuring a priest and a nun kissing, was eventually banned.

He left the brand in 2000 following a dispute with the company over its latest campaign, which featured images of death row inmates under the headline “death penalty”.

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

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

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

Photo of the French model in 2007 Isabelle Caro in fact, a fashion label’s anti-anorexia campaign made headlines.

Her eating disorder-ravaged face and emaciated body appeared on billboards and in newspapers during Milan fashion week. The campaign coincided with the rise of concerns about the use of too thin models on the catwalk.

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

Toscani started working for Benetton again in 2017, but three years later, the team cut ties with him after underestimating his importance. Morandi Bridge The disaster killed 43 people.

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