oliviero toscani. interview with the creator of numerous world-famous corporate images and advertising campaigns ....................................................
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oliviero toscani son of a photo-journalist of the italian newspaper ‘corriere della sera’, born in 1942 in milan, italy, studied photography an design at the ‘hochschule für gestaltung’ in zurich from 1961 through 1965. creator (concept and image) of numerous world-famous corporate images and advertising campaigns. photographer for leading international magazines and brands; for esprit, valentino, chanel, fiorucci, prenatal, and many more. his work has appeared as fashion photographer in the pages of magazines as: elle, vogue, uomo vogue, GQ, harper's bazaar, esquire, stern etc. from 1982 to 2000 ,(18 years), he built ‘united colors of benetton’ into one of the world's most recognized brand, giving the company its corporate image, identity and communication strategy, and developing its online presence; in 1990 he conceived, created and directed the international magazine ‘colors’. in 1993, he invented, founded, and directed ‘fabrica’, the international center for research in the arts of modern communication, toscani commissioned to the japanese architect tadao ando to design it; ‘fabrica’ produced editorial projects, books, television programs and exhibitions and gained numerous honours and awards. toscani's work has been exhibited at the biennale of venice, san paolo, triennale of milan, lausanne, mexico city, helsinky, rome …he has won numerous awards, including 4 lions d'or at cannes festival, the unesco grand prix, twice the grand prix d'affichage and several art directors club such as new york, tokyo, berlin, milan. speaker and lecturer on visual communications and criticism, he has taught at several universities and has written three books. from 1999 to the end of 2000 toscani has been the creative director at talk miramax in new york. he lives in tuscany, producing olive oil and breeding horses. http://www.olivierotoscani.com	oliviero toscani © designboom
---------------------------------------------------------------- we met oliviero toscani in milan on march 5, 2002 ------------------------------- what is the best moment of the day? when I wake up what kind of music do you listen to at the moment? I listen to the radio, but I don't listen to music, I like to listen to stations in foreign languages which I don't understand. where do you get news from? the only thing I read are newspapers, I never read books. books are very useful to sit on, I think that is their greatest use. do you read design magazines? there are such a things?. do you notice how women dress? do you have any preferences? I prefer women, I'm not interested in clothes. what kind of clothes do you avoid wearing? a bra. even if I like sexy lace ones. I don't like them all... I wear them all. do you have any pets? fleas, ticks on my body, and then I have dogs, horses and cows. where do you work on your designs and projects? in the brain. who would you like to design something for? for god. do you discuss your work with other photographers? usually I talk to the farmer who lives next door, he can milk cows in a fantastic way, and there is another guy who repairs tractors. they are the most creative people I have ever met. did you always want to become a photographer? no, I was born artist describe your style like a good friend of yours would describe it. I don't have a style, at least not how you mean it, formalists have one, so do all those who conform to styles. we are all unique and unrepeatable. that's the style, especially mine. what project has given you the most satisfaction? masturbation. masturbating is really exhausting, tiring. and sexual relations, and any intestinal rubbing... from studio 'ballo&ballo' to 'benetton' to your latest works can you give us an idea of the evolution of your philosophy? I was not a student of my sister's and aldo's 'ballo' studio. I have learned since then what not to do: not to have a studio, for example. to be free, to be like a cuckoo, who puts her eggs in many different nests, and in fact I have never had a studio. I was a student at a very important school (hochschule für gestaltung, zürich). the head of my school was johannes itten, some of the great bauhaus masters were my teachers... I don't have a style, at least not how you mean it, formalists have one, so do all those who conform to styles. is there any architect or designer from past you appreciate a lot? schindler. rudolf schindler was a german architect during the nazi regime and he left germany and emigrated to the usa where he did a lot of interesting things. and those still active, are there any particular ones you appreciate? there are no young architects. young architects cannot be any good. architecture begins at 80, whoever dies before then is a fool and a failure. do you use your advertising campaigns for humanitarian ends or do you just want to be transgressive? I do not do advertising campaigns. I take photographs which are bought by business men to sell their products. they do that, and they also pay me. I say what I want to say, what I like, that's the only thing I can do. think of an architect who builds a skyscraper for coca cola, he isn't doing that for publicizing coca cola... thus we are all servants to the major companies, we used to be servants to the cross, then we were servants to the svastika, and now we are servants to coca cola. cross, swastika, and coca cola are our masters. / see the quick time clip, 623 kb regarding the swastika, I read in 'le monde' that in france there is a lot of dissent for the poster you made for costa gavras' film entitled 'amen'. I chose the title and created the film's symbol which is a christian cross transformed into a svastika. at the time of the second world war, unfortunately jews were killed with the collaboration of catholics. its useless to hide behind lies... on the news broadcast they said that italians are afraid of unemployment, criminality and pollution. what are you afraid of regarding the future? you can't be sure if you are creative. creativity is based on uncertainty and insecurity. thus uncertainty regarding work is fine with me. criminality is part of art. there is no art without crimiality, real emotion without criminality. pollution... I think that we have to protect ourselves from nature. if you sleep one cold night outside you will die. nature kills you instantly. ... I am not afraid of the future. I am afraid of the past.	condemned to death, jérôme mallett, 2000. died july 2001. courtesy oliviero toscani campaign for benetton, autumn/winter 1991/1992 courtesy oliviero toscani campaign for benetton, autumn/winter 1991/1992 courtesy oliviero toscani campaign for prenatal, 1996 courtesy oliviero toscani film poster 'amen' directed by costa-gavras, 2002 courtesy oliviero toscani
the questionaire of marcel proust (1871 - 1922) ...................................................................................................................................................... (in age of fourteen proust was given an english album "confessions : an album to record thoughts, feelings". seven years later marcel proust published this questionaire) in the literary salons in nineteenth century paris, this parlour game was a popular amusement. for designboom oliviero toscani has answered these 'old fashioned' questions. ...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
the main traits of my character. vertical. a quality I desire in a man. femininity. a quality I desire in a woman. masculinity. what I appreciate most among my friends. their glance. my principal defect. beauty. my favourite occupation. masturbation. my dream of happiness. not to dream at all. what would for me be the biggest misfortune. to be immortal. whom I would like to be. to be the one who looks at me when I'm dead were I would like to live. where I am. the colour I prefer. changing. the flower I love. of evil. the bird I prefer. oliviero's. my favourite authors. I am illiterate. my favourite poets. graffitists. my heroes in fiction. menhirs. my heroines in fiction. my ideas. my favourite composers. african musicians. my favourite artists. goya. my heroes in real life. the sentenced to death. my heroines in history. there were three injections... my favourite names. lola, ali, rocco. what I hate most. lack of compassion (in the buddhist sense). the historic characters I dislike most. politicians. the military enterprise I like the most. none. the reform I appreciate the most. the one I have in my underwear. nature’s gift I would like to have. life. how I would like to die. not ill. my soul's present condition. particularly lucky and privileged. the faults I can bear. to have gone to school. my motto. live each day like if it is the last one, because one day it will be the case. create life don't consume it.	silvio berlusconi collage, for 'stern' magazine. 2002 courtesy oliviero toscani campaign for jesus jeans, 1973 'who loves me follows me' courtesy oliviero toscani campaign for fiorucci, 1974 courtesy oliviero toscani
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