Benetton photographer Oliviero Toscani is dead: his advertising campaigns sparked debates

The photographer Oliviero Toscani is dead. He died after a serious illness at the age of 82, as the Ansa news agency reported, citing Toscani’s family. Toscani became famous, among other things, for designing various advertising campaigns for the fashion group Benetton, which repeatedly triggered controversial debates.

Toscani was active as creative director for Benetton in the 1980s and 1990s. His image of a white baby on the breast of a black woman, which was intended to take a stand against racism, became known. At the time, the fashion group advertised itself with the slogan “United Colors of Benetton”. However, there were no trousers or sweaters on the posters, but rather provocative motifs, such as a photo of a priest and a nun kissing. Later, Toscani showed pictures of refugee boats, anorexics, people suffering from AIDS or even the shirt with a bullet hole of a fallen soldier in the Bosnian War.

Toscani often heard this accusation that he exploited social or political problems in order to sell products. The photographer replied that he wanted to draw attention to problems and that art had to be provocative in order to arouse interest and spark debate. In any case, Toscani’s so-called shock advertising was successful: the Benetton fashion brand grew strongly. In 2000, Toscani left the company – also because of the violent protests against a major campaign that showed prisoners sentenced to death in the USA and which resulted in massive sales losses and branch closures there. After a brief return, the group finally ended its collaboration with Toscani in 2020.

Toscani, who also taught at various Italian universities, was born in Milan in 1942. His father was a photojournalist and Oliviero Toscani got his first camera at the age of five. In August 2024, Toscani spoke in an interview about having amyloidosis, a rare disease that leads to organ failure. “There is no cure,” the photographer explained. He recently underwent experimental treatment.