He passed away silently on January 13, 2025 at Cecina hospital Oliviero Toscanithe great Italian photographer who with his bold and avant-garde gaze revolutionized the way of taking photos and advertising. Amyloidosis (a rare disease characterized by the anomalous accumulation of proteins in tissues and organs, which progressively alters their structure and functionality) took him away at the age of 82, but did not take with him his iconic shots: it’s impossible not to have seen the most famous ones at least once in your life, especially those of his innovative and provocative advertising campaigns. These photos are the crystallized testimony of an avant-garde, niche way of seeing, of a man who, putting himself behind the lens, tried to change the perception of many people on very delicate topics, sometimes making noses wrinkle and sometimes convincing them that there is they were other ways – or perhaps we should say “other worlds” – of seeing things.
The life of the photographer Oliviero Toscani
Born in Milan on 28 February 1942, Oliviero Toscani was the son of Fedele Toscani, one of the first photojournalists of the Corriere della Sera. After attending Vittorio Veneto high school, he studied photography and graphics at the Zurich University of the Arts (from 1961 to 1965). The job in advertising arrived immediately, with the very first one campaign for the Algida croissant. Toscani’s shot portrayed three girls on a tandem while they were eating ice cream, and he liked it so much that it brought him other jobs, and he soon began collaborating with very famous fashion magazines such as Elle, Vogue And Harper’s Bazaarphotographing dozens and dozens of artists from all over the world.
In 1982, he began his long collaboration with Benettonfor which he created advertising campaigns that addressed social issues such as racismthe religion el’AIDSsparking debates and controversies but also causing him to receive numerous international awards for his way of innovating photography and communicating.
In addition to this, together with his friend and graphic designer Tibor Kalman in 1990 he founded the magazine “Colors“, an international magazine without linguistic borders, totally visual and aimed at everyone, which anticipated the kind of global communication that we now see everywhere. Obviously the magazine was as deeply provocative as all its art, and addressed thorny and delicate issues such as cultural diversity , discrimination, the environment and social justice.
Each issue was dedicated to a single theme, explored with images with a strong visual impact, and always delivered an ethical and social denunciation imprint. The latest paper magazine from Colors was published in 2014, but in 2019 it was reborn as an editorial experiment on Instagram (Colorsxstudios), which shares content in line with its tradition of cultural and social exploration with 1.8 million followers.
His most provocative works (and not only): the photos
Among his works that have “scandalised” public opinion the most are “Three Hearts” (1996), an image of three identical human hearts labeled “white”, “black” and “yellow”, to emphasize the equality between people whatever the color of their skin.
Then there is “Priest and Nun” (1991), a photograph taken for a Benetton advertising campaign which portrays it in extreme close-up a priest and a nun kissingaddressing the issue of celibacy in the Church and bringing upon itself a series of significant problems. In fact, the Vatican did not appreciate this mixture of the sacred and the profane, and did not appreciate the photographer’s provocation, so much so that it decided to have it censored in Italy. Similarly, in France too the shot was censored at the request of various religious associations. This episode helped consolidate Toscani’s reputation as a highly provocative photographer, capable of using advertising as a means to stimulate reflections on social and cultural issues.
Another shot that is impossible to forget, despite its simplicity “Angel and Devil” (also from 1991) is the one that depicts two little girls – with golden curls and hair spiky in horns – embracing each other, symbolizing the duality of the human being.

And how can we forget “No Anorexia” (2007), in which Toscani portrays the naked and emaciated body of the French model Isabelle Carowho was suffering from at the time anorexia nervosa. With that shot – commissioned by the Italian fashion brand Nolita and presented during Milan Fashion Week that year – the photographer wanted to raise public awareness of the dangers of this disease. Here too, the photograph aroused controversial reactions: some criticized it, stating that it was too crude, and accused Nolita of having exploited a pathological condition for commercial purposes. Others, however, considered her powerful social denunciation toolcapable of putting the spotlight on a disease about which there were still many taboos at the time. This photo, so emblematic, is perhaps the strongest example of Toscani’s art, which addressed such a relevant social issue without any veil.
The Sant’Anna di Stazzema project: 12 August 1944. The children remember
In 2003, at the request of the mayor of Stazzema Gian Piero Lorenzoni, the Milanese photographer dedicated himself to a notable project, “Sant’Anna di Stazzema: 12 August 1944. Children remember”for which an exhibition and a photographic book were created.
It was a project very dear to Toscani, because it was based on testimonies of survivors of the Nazi-fascist massacre of 12 August 1944 in Sant’Anna di Stazzema, Tuscany, where around 560 civilians were killed.
Toscani captured with his camera the faces of the survivors, who at that time were only children, who told him of the pain they felt on that tragic summer day. The book collects these photographs and these testimonies, making readers reflect on the importance of historical memory and remembering, so that this never happens again.
The photographer may be gone, but his photographs remain, as evidence of commitment that goes beyond aesthetics and delves into ethical and political territories with great emotional impact.
