Made famous by shock photos: Star photographer Oliviero Toscani is dead

By Robert Messer

Livorno - The Italian star photographer Oliviero Toscani, who became famous for his advertising campaigns for the fashion brand Benetton, has died.

He died at the age of 82 after a serious illness on Monday, as reported by the Ansa news agency, citing Toscani's family.

The prominent Italian became internationally known in particular for his provocative advertising campaigns for the Benetton fashion brand.

Oliviero had "embarked on his next journey", according to the statement from his family. The President of Tuscany, where Toscani last lived, paid tribute to the photographer as a "master of photography and a free spirit". "His genius will continue to inspire us," wrote Eugenio Giani on Facebook.

In August, Toscani revealed in an interview that he was suffering from amyloidosis - a rare disease that leads to organ failure.

"In practice, proteins build up at certain vital points and block the body. And you die. There is no cure," explained the photographer. Most recently, he underwent experimental treatment.

Toscani had photographed advertising campaigns for Benetton for more than 15 years in the 80s and 90s, until the photographer and company parted ways.

He was repeatedly accused of being provocative with his choice of subjects - anorexics, Aids sufferers, prisoners sentenced to death. After a brief return, the company ended its collaboration with Toscani in 2020.

His images of a priest and a nun united in a kiss, a bloodied newborn baby still on the umbilical cord or an AIDS patient on his deathbed caused a sensation.

Condoms in all kinds of colors were also to be seen in his celebrated photographs. He also showed his pictures many times in numerous different exhibitions, including in Germany.