The Most Stunning Works of Famous Photographer Oliviero Toscani

The aim of advertising has always been to the brand ‘earn more‘ and selling that product or service. But who thinks this is a big mistake; There is a big name that shapes today’s advertising world by showing his righteousness with his works; Oliviero Toscani.

According to Toscani, the purpose of advertising is not to sell any product more, but revealing what makes the brand special and its differences against its competitors. To make this difference and features memorable by making it memorable…

‘Advertisements should be judged as a crime against humanity’

Tuscany, traditional advertising needs to change radically; he even argues that advertisements should be prosecuted like a crime against humanity.

“The crime of wasting huge sums of money, the crime of social uselessness, the crime of lying, the crimes against reason, the worshiping of nonsense and vain things, the crime of exclusion and racism, the crime against civil peace, the crime against language, the crime against creativity, the looting. water seller”

Toscani also rewrote social awareness and brand relations by changing the ‘way of doing business’ of the brands it works with.

When Toscani is mentioned, the first brand that comes to mind is United Colors of Benetton. Marka and Toscani have worked together for many years, and they have signed dozens of projects, each of which is resounding. Toscani in these projects From AIDS to racism, He has carried out studies in which he touched on different problems from the rights of death row prisoners and the theme of justice to hunger.

However, there were many brands that Toscani worked with besides Benetton. It is now one of the biggest marketing strategies of many big brands. ‘social responsibility works that focus on social problems’ It would not be wrong to say that he entered the world of advertising with the works of de Toscani…

But this entry was not an easy one. Even today, such Although ads with strong social messages may sound very normal At that time, almost all of Toscani’s works faced great criticism.

A little note: We labeled some photos as ‘sensitive images’ because they might contain triggers for blood, violence and trauma.

Delivering strong messages on racism was one of the main focuses of Toscani’s work with Benetton.

While Toscani often stands against racism with such photos, the photo below, in which a black woman breastfeeds a white child, garnered a great reaction in the USA and was withdrawn upon complaints…

The anti-war stance was also prominent in Toscani’s works.

This newly born baby, still cordoned off, was released during the Gulf War that began in August 1990. wanted to emphasize hope and rebirth against war. However, it got a great reaction both in Europe and America and was banned.

This photograph, published in 1994, reveals the clothes of the Bosnian soldier Marinko Gagro, who lost his life in a conflict during the Bosnian War, along with the brutality of the war… On the photo was a message from Gagro’s father. In the message ‘I am Gojko Gagro, father of the late Marinko Gagro, born in Citluk, Blizanci in 1963, that my son’s name and all that remains of him against war and for peace I want it to be used‘was written…

To be able to live different cultures of the world together, to disrupt the social codes and to be polyphonic and multi-colored; establishing a free, fair and equal world was also one of Toscani’s main messages.

As you can imagine, this image of a priest and a nun kissing caused an indignation…

Critical health problems that cause social labeling such as AIDS and anorexia were also the topics that Toscani frequently conveyed through his lens.

David Kirby, an American activist with AIDS. taken in hospital room and later reconstructed as an oil painting, this image is a highly controversial and nevertheless resounding work on behalf of AIDS activism. it happened. of the study The state of Jesus when he was taken down from the cross representative; The resemblance to Michelangelo’s sculpture called Pieta also caused a lot of controversy at that time…

This controversial advertising campaign featuring Isabelle Caro, whose life completely changed due to anorexia and later died due to this, was carried out together with an underwear brand called Nolita. A big backlash to the beauty and fashion industry The visual, which has the characteristic of being a part of the world, made a great impression at that time…

Famine, hunger, disasters and many social ‘ignored’ problems…

Toscani also created controversy with this work, in which he colored and used a black and white image of Benedetto Grado, who fell victim to a mafia murder, by photographer and journalist Franco Zecchin.

With the ‘Sentence to Death’ project launched against the death penalty, Toscani visited death row inmates in the USA and photographed them for 2 years. The project ended the years of collaboration between Benetton and Toscani. It left behind lawsuits and snowballing reactions.

The victims’ families reacted strongly to the use of the images for the advertising campaign. State of Missouri alleged photo shoots were made with ‘false statements’ filed multi-million dollar lawsuits. A massive mass movement towards Benetton developed and sales fell.

Benetton said that the purpose of the campaign was to help death row prisoners. ‘a project of reaction and attention to their wrongful death’‘, he announced before the images were released. However, the reactions did not subside, and Benetton and Toscani parted ways after this project.

Toscani was also blamed for including “gay elements” in his work for a men’s clothing brand.

The poster designed by Toscani for Amen, a critical film about the approach of the church and the papacy to what happened during the Nazi Germany, created a great controversy in the Christian world.

The swastika and the cross, which is the symbol of Christianity, are intertwined on the poster, massive pressure to ban the poster caused. So much so that even the broadcast of the film was in danger…

The film, on the other hand, was telling that the papacy and the church remained silent in the face of the massacres in those years and that they were guilty, albeit indirectly.

Toscani’s advertising and campaign approaches, which were unusual for those years and hit the ball, have become one of the most effective weapons of brands today. But unfortunately now, perhaps because it has lost its ‘sincerity’ and ‘true intention’, it has become too uncomfortable to impress…