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

Fashion designer Oliviero Toscani, known for his eye-catching ads for Italian brand Benetton, has died aged 82, his family has confirmed.

The brand’s former art director revealed that he has amyloidosis, an incurable disease that affects the body’s vital organs and nerves.

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

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

In an interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera last year he said that he accidentally lost 40kg (88lb).

“I don’t know how long I have left to live, but I don’t want to live like that,” he added.

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

Paying tribute to his work, Benetton released a photo of him in 1989.

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

“Farewell Oliviero. Keep dreaming.”

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

Throughout her career, she has worked as a director for fashion magazines including Vogue and GQ and helped launch the career of Monica Bellucci.

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

But it was during his role as director at Benetton, a position he held for 18 years, that brought him international recognition.

His use of all colors became his calling card and led to the “United Colors of Benetton” logo – but his provocative images caused controversy.

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

His use of an image depicting David Kirby, a father dying of Aids, also led to a boycott of the brand.

Three identical human hearts written in black, white and yellow represent racism in fashion, while some of its advertisements – featuring a priest and nuns – were banned.

He was parted from the brand in 2000 following controversy over its last campaign, which featured images of prisoners on death row, labeled “death row”.

He said that his campaigns, which deal with issues such as human rights, religion and racism, are designed to inform other people.

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

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

In 2007, his picture of the French model Isabelle Caro for a fashion company battling anorexia made headlines.

Her thin face and emaciated body, damaged by an eating disorder, were displayed on billboards and in the press during Milan fashion week. The campaign coincided with a growing concern over the use of too-thin colors in travel sports.

The photo, which was shot at the fashion house Nolita, was banned in several countries including Italy, but it caused a fierce debate on the Internet after the virus.

Toscani started working for Benetton again in 2017, but after three years, the team severed its relationship after playing the importance of Morandi Bridge the disaster that killed 43 people.

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