One of fashion's most sought-after snappers, Mario Testino was born in 1954 in Lima, Peru. He came to London in 1976, took a flat in an abandoned hospital near Trafalgar Square, and began selling portfolios (for £25, including hair and make-up) to wannabe models. Today he is best known for his highly polished, exotically bright ad campaigns and his exquisitely styled photographs of the couture scene all of which carry a deceptive air of nonchalance.Now at the top of his profession, Testino has shot Madonna for Versace as well as photographing the late Diana, Princess of Wales for her famous Vanity Fair cover in 1997. His popularity with designers and fashion editors stems as much from his professionalism and good nature as his unerring ability to take beautiful pictures which sell clothes. Testino is also credited with bringing to an end the reign of the ubermodel: rather than pay the exorbitant fees demanded by Linda, Naomi et al, in the early Nineties Testino championed a new breed of model, including Kate Moss ("my favourite"), Stella Tennant and several other new Brit-pack beauties.Though often classed among the Luxury Realists of fashion (along with Steven Meisel, Craig McDean and David Sims), Testino refuses to analyse his work, preferring to see it as a visual rather than an intellectual endeavour. However, his fashion photography is so well studied that it has widely been granted the status of art, and has been the subject of countless exhibitions. Perhaps his most famous works include his super-sexy ad campaigns for Gucci, his black and white Burberry posters starring Kate Moss and Freddie Windsor and a shoot for Vogue's Millennium souvenir issue in silver, in which he staged the perfect fashion party, bringing together fashion's elite past (such as Lord Snowdon and Sir Hardy Amies) and present (John Galliano, Jade Jagger, Naomi Campbell, Devon Aoki and Alexander McQueen).The man who once said it was his "greatest pleasure in life" to make people laugh published his first book of photography, a raunchy and vibrant collection of images entitled Any Objections?, in 1998.
Gisele Bundchen, Vanity Fair September 2007 Cover Shoot with Mario Testino
Mario Testino special, in Spanish
* Any Objections?, Phaidon Inc Ltd, 1998
* Front Row Back Stage, Bulfinch Press, 1999
* Alive (with Gwyneth Paltrow), Bulfinch Press, 2001
* Mario Testino: Portraits, Bulfinch Press, 2002
* Kids, Scriptum Editions, 2003.
* Visionaire No. 46: Uncensored, Visionaire Publishing, 2005
* Let me in, Taschen, 2007.
* Lima, Peru, Damiani, 2007. (Edited by Mario Testino)Mario Testino
Portraits
Patrick Kinmonth
'The essence of Mario Testino's talent is his ability to make the world's most beautiful people look even more beautiful.'
-The Independent
Whoever Mario Testino photographs, they embody the spirit of the moment. His sense of fashion and unmistakable style, which have made him one of the most sought-after contemporary photographers, has transformed many of his sitters into icons.
Published to accompany his sell-out exhibition, Mario Testino: Portraits defines the ultra-A-list of our celebrity-conscious age: Diana, Madonna, Gwyneth, Kate - those whose names have become the hallmarks, almost the logos, of modern times. From London to Hollywood, this unprecedented overview of Testino's career explores how his photographs have influenced attitudes towards fashion, beauty and glamour.
Mario Testino came to London from Peru in the late 1970s and made his name in British, American, French and Italian Vogue and Vanity Fair. In his previous books, Any Objections, Front Row Back Stage and Alive, Testino captured moments of his life at the epicentre of fashion. This book assembles his work as a portrait photographer and image-maker for the first time, and by doing so reveals his penetrating ability to turn a face into a legend.
Authors
Patrick Kinmonth is a writer, artistic director and opera designer. He has written widely on photography.
Charles Saumarez Smith is the Director of the National Gallery, London. He was formerly the Director of the National Portrait Gallery, London.
Alexandra Shulman is Editor of British Vogue.
365 x 270mm, 200 pages
130 illustrations, 85 in colour
ISBN 1 85514 320 8
£30 (paperback)
Published October 2003
Princess Diana
Carine Roitfeld