Mario Testino

He is rightly considered one of the greatest exponents of fashion photography alive. With his intense shots of models, influencers and VIPs Mario Testino has given an innovative touch to a genre, that of fashion photography, often considered "rigid", perhaps boring, mistakenly linked to some stereotypes.

Testino gave a new image to the great fashion houses with which he collaborated and still collaborates, helping to launch the careers of models such as Kate Moss and Stella Tennant; thanks to his portraits he has created glossy cover characters or endowed with noble titles so intense as to be almost palpable. The Peruvian is undoubtedly one of the most iconic photographers of all time and his works have set and continue to set standards.

Biography

Mario Eduardo Testino Silva was born on October 30, 1954 in Lima, Peru. In his veins runs Irish blood on his mother's side and Italian blood on his father's. Testino comes from a Catholic family far from the glossy world of fashion and showbiz.

The turning point for the photographer came in 1976, when Mario Testino moved from Peru to London. His first approaches with the camera took place thanks to John Vickers and Paul Nugent: it was at the studios of these two very important artists that Testino learned the rudiments and in a short time obtained his first official job: immortalizing a haircut.

The model was a very young Lucinda Chambers, the famous stylist who posed with her new look for “British Vogue” and who began a long and solid friendship with Testino. Despite being a "citizen of the world" Mario Testino never forgets his South American origins, on the contrary: around the 1990s he began to draw from his youthful experiences in Peru and from the summers spent in Brazil, fundamental places for an artistic evolution that goes hand in hand, by the professional's own admission, with human growth.

Mario Testino is currently one of the most requested fashion photographers by fashion magazines and major brands in the sector. Among the various brands with which the Peruvian artist has collaborated we include: Burberry, Versace, Valentino, Yves Saint Laurent, Gucci and Dolce & Gabbana. Some of the unforgettable shots taken by Testino can be admired in magazines such as “Vanity Fair“, “Vogue” and “The Face“.

Style and muses

Mario Testino's photographic style is known in the industry as luxury realism: a particular terminology which, however, hides within it a simple and never predictable concept.

Thanks to a "fluid" approach that breaks the predefined patterns between masculine and feminine, Testino gives the observer an "earthly" image of any famous person he decides to immortalize. This is very tangible in the shots that the Lima photographer makes known not only through exhibitions and magazines, but above all through his official Instagram profile: an immediate and "youthful" way to interact with a wider segment of users.

From Madonna to Angelina Jolie, from Rihanna to Blake Lively even passing through the Rolling Stones, Mario Testino proves perennially capable of creating true style icons; icons, however, very human, because they lend their most intimate and true, unprecedented side to the artist's lens.

The successful demonstration of this assumption are two of Testino's main muses: the supermodel Kate Moss and the unforgettable princess Diana Spencer. Two women light years apart in terms of public and private backgrounds, yet so similar in their fragility, in their "naked" beauty, faithfully reported by shots that are certainly not the result of chance, on the contrary.

Every aspect of Mario Testino's work is carefully prepared. A painstaking organization of sets and lights does not, however, affect the genuine of the photographer's work, which returns sensual, energetic portraits on film, never vulgar, never artificial. These are real jewels that are successfully exhibited in the largest art galleries around the world.

Charity

Always involved in philanthropic causes, Mario Testino has lent his face and professional skills to advocate for many charitable causes, such as:Naked Heart Foundation, Elton John Aids Foundation, Aid for Aids, CLIC Sargent, amfAR, Fashion Fights Aids and Save The Children Perù.

It is precisely with this last organization that the Peruvian actively collaborated in 2008 to build the construction of the El Salvador clinic in the district of Pueblo Nuevo, Chincha. The facility treats children suffering from tuberculosis and was financed by Testino through the sale of the legendary portrait of Lady Diana.

In the same year Mario Testino donated 800 thousand pounds to the Foundation created by Elton John derived from the purchase, by a businessman, of a session at Elton John's White Tie and Tiara Ball offered by the photographer himself.

MATE – Mario Testino Museum

In 2012 Mario Testino founded MATE, a non-profit structure built in the Barranco neighborhood of Lima with the aim of introducing the world to the artists and culture of his beloved land and, at the same time, offering the Peruvian population the best selection of contemporary photographers and artists.

Inside the MATE it is possible not only to find a permanent exhibition dedicated to the great photographer, but also to participate in workshops, events, conferences, guided tours and conferences.

Honours

Thanks to his profession and his philanthropic works Mario Testino has obtained important honors in Peru and abroad.

• Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit for Distinguished Service (Peru) – 25 May 2010
• Officer of the Order of the British Empire (United Kingdom) – 14 January 2014
• Knight of the Order of the Legion of Honor (France) – 13 June 2017

Bibliography and website

Mario Testino has published several monographic works:

• Any Objections?, Phaidon Inc Ltd, 1998
• Front Row Back Stage, Bulfinch Press, 1999
• Alive (con Gwyneth Paltrow), Bulfinch Press, 2001
• Portraits, Bulfinch Press, 2002
• Kids, Edizioni Scriptum, 2003
• Visionaire 46: Uncensored, Visionary Publishing, 2005
• Let Me In, Taschen, 2007
• Mario De Janeiro Testino, Taschen, 2009
• In Your Face, Taschen, 2012

Website

His life, works, humanitarian commitment: if you want to know Mario Testino in depth, visit the official website dedicated to the photographer.

Quotes

Concise but wise: Mario Testino's quotes are not just pills on the artistic profession, but real advice that can be put into practice in everyday life. Here are some of the free thoughts of the famous photographer:

• “Some people strive for perfection, but I often find perfection boring“
• "One of my greatest experiences in life was photographing Princess Diana. Not only was the experience itself amazing, but it opened a door for me to start photographing the royal families of Europe. It's part of my love for tradition and family"
• "Just as photography is a vehicle for me to experience a new moment, to go to a new place, meet a new person and so on, art is a process of encounter and discovery. Exhibiting art for me is not just about seeing the work isolated in a white cube. It is also about engaging with the art – and sometimes with the artist – to create something new"