Mario Testino (1954) is a Peruvian fashion and portrait photographer. His work has featured internationally in magazines such as Vogue, V Magazine, Vanity Fair and GQ. He has also created images for brands such as Gucci, Burberry, Versace, Michael Kors, Chanel, Stuart Weitzman, Carolina Herrera and Estée Lauder.
Alongside his practice as a photographer, Testino has also worked as a creative director, guest editor, museum founder, art collector and collaborator and entrepreneur
Testino was born and grew up in Lima into a well-to-do Roman Catholic family. He was the eldest of six children and is of Spanish, Italian, and Irish descent. He attended a Catholic school, Santa Maria Marianistas. As a child he wanted to be a priest.
Testino studied economics at La Universidad del Pacífico followed by the Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru and the University of San Diego.
In 1976, he went to London to study photography after abandoning his studies of Economics, Law and International Affairs. It was during apprenticeships at the studios of John Vickers and Paul Nugent that he made his first attempts as a photographer. Living in an unconverted floor of a hospital, without much money, he funded himself by working as a waiter. He had his hair dyed pink which helped him get noticed as a photographer and took inspiration from British celebrity fashion photographer Cecil Beaton. London was a city that allowed him to flourish expressively without the restrictions he felt were imposed on him in Peru. His work first appeared in Vogue in 1983.
Testino has become one of the world's best-known and most celebrated fashion photographers. He has documented subjects from A-list stars, musicians, supermodels and artists as well as subjects he has encountered throughout his travels. His work has been featured in magazines such as Vogue, V Magazine, Vanity Fair, GQ, LOVE, Allure and VMan. Eighteen exhibitions and more than 16 books have been published on his work. Suzy Menkes, Vogue's International Editor explains, "Testino's skill is first and foremost to catch the moment and to bring out the humanity in his subjects".
Testino's collaboration with Tom Ford and fashion stylist Carine Roitfeld on provocative advertising campaigns in the mid-1990s is widely credited to have led to the revival of Gucci as a major fashion house.
Testino was nicknamed the "John Singer Sargent of our times" by Terence Pepper, photography curator at the National Portrait Gallery in London. The Gallery's 2002 Portraits exhibition attracted more visitors than any other show in the museum's history at the time. For ten years it had the highest attendance of any exhibition ever to be held there. Over the next four years the exhibition toured globally.
In 2011, he was awarded an Honorary Fellowship by The Royal Photographic Society. These are awarded to distinguished persons having, from their position or attainments, an intimate connection with the science or fine art of photography or the application thereof. In this same year GQ also awarded Testino the Man of the Year Inspiration Award.
In Latin America, he has been awarded The Grand Cross rank of the Order of Merit for Distinguished Service in Peru and The Tiradentes Medal in Brazil.
In July 2013, Testino opened his first non-profit association in Barranco, Lima.[citation needed] Museo Mario Testino was established to act as a dynamic platform for Peruvian art through the cultivation and promotion of culture and heritage.[46]
Testino restored a 13,000 sq. ft. mansion built in 1898, which is home to a permanent exhibition of his work alongside a temporary exhibition space for Peruvian and international artists
In January 2018, Testino was accused by 13 male assistants and models who worked with him of sexual harassment. Models Roman Barrett, Jason Fedele and Ryan Locke complained about his behaviour during campaigns in the 1990s.
More allegations against Mario Testino came to light in 2018. Four of the five new allegations described their incidents occurring during or after 2010. Testino has denied all allegations.
© 2021. All content on this blog is protected by international copyright laws All images are copyrighted © by Mario Testino or assignee. Apart from fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review as permitted under the Copyright Act, the use of any image from this site is prohibited unless prior written permission is obtained. All images used for illustrative purposes only
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| Mario Testino |
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The Bee Gees
1989, London |
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Madonna
1998, Miami, for Ray of light album
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Madonna
1998, Miami, for Ray of light album |
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Keith Richards & Mick Jagger
2003, Los Angeles, for Vogue |
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Mick Jagger
2003, Los Angeles, for Vogue |
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Jenifer Aniston
2005, Los Angeles, for Vanity fair |
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Courtney love
2006, Los Angeles, for V Magazine |
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Matt Dillon, Kate Hudson & Owen Wilson
2006, Los Angeles, for Vogue |
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Alicia Keys
2007, NYC
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From the Alta moda series
2007 |
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From the Alta moda series
2007 |
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From the Alta moda series
2007 |
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Lindsay Lohan
2007, Los Angeles, for Allure |
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Cameron Diaz
2009, Los Angeles, for Vogue |
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Sarah Jessica Parker
2010, Jersey City, for Vogue |
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Lady Gaga
2011, Antwerp, for Vogue
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Bruce Willis
2012, London
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Miley Cyrus
2013, Los Angeles, for Vogue |
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| From the collection "A beautiful world" |
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| From the collection "A beautiful world" |
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| From the collection "A beautiful world" |
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| From the collection "A beautiful world" |
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| From the collection "Disciple" |
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| From the collection "Disciple" |
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| From the collection "On location" |
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| From the collection "On location" |
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| From the collection "On location" |
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| From the collection "On location" |
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| From the collection "On location" |
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| From the collection "Peru" |
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| From the collection "Peru" |
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| From the collection "Peru" |
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| From the collection "Peru" |
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| From the collection "Peru" |
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