Books: Ciao by Mario Testino

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Books: This month TASCHEN offers a unique book that shows Italy as you have never seen it before – Ciao by Mario Testino.

Venezia, Roma, Napoli, Firenze. This is Italy as we’ve never seen it before. By the sea and on the streets, from Torino to Montepulciano, discover an intimate portrait of the Italy that Mario Testino knows and loves. Gathering personal, previously unpublished photographs, this is an ode to Italy’s people, art, food and fashion.

Widely regarded as one of the most influential fashion and portrait photographers, Mario Testino is responsible for the creation of emblematic images, transmitting emotion and energy in an open and intimate way. Throughout his four-decade career, Testino has been on a journey beyond the world of fashion, capturing Earth’s traditions and cultures with unparalleled access and an extraordinarily unique point of view.

Peruvian by birth, Testino’s intimate connection to Italy found its roots in his Italian heritage, but blossomed when he experienced the country for himself. Discovering Italy was, for Testino, synonymous with discovering his passion for fashion. “Rome was all about the hottest, latest trends and fresh new styling, and I loved the way Italians could shed the latest look for an even newer thing without ever losing their own identity.”

In Ciao, Testino hand-picks his favourite images of Italy, a country that has featured heavily in his life, from his friendships and breathtaking vistas to quintessentially Italian iconic fashion shoots and Italians’ ever- evolving allure to their effervescent lifestyle. Featuring three sections, IN GIRO (out and about), ALLA MODA (in fashion), and AL MARE (at sea), the result is a highly personal journey across the country through Testino’s lens paying homage to Italy and it’s culture, as well as a chronicle of 40 years of genre-defining photography.

The photographer and author: With a career of four decades as a leader in the fields of fashion, culture and lifestyle, Peruvian-born Mario Testino OBE has many facets that take him beyond the surface of a photographer and artist, placing him as a cultural visionary. Testino’s universe is broad, his impact is uniquely powerful and his lifestyle is completely authentic.

Testino has seen his works published and exhibited in hundreds of cities around the world. Throughout his career, he built unprecedented relationships with editorial and commercial partners such as Vogue, Burberry and Gucci, to name a few. His past and present muses include HRH Princess Diana, Madonna, Donatella Versace, Kendall Jenner and Mariacarla Boscono. His solo exhibitions have shown in museums and galleries worldwide, including the National Portrait Gallery, London and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

The contributing author: Alain Elkann is a New York–born author and journalist. Since 1989, he has maintained a weekly interview column for the Italian daily newspaper La Stampa.

Mario Testino. Ciao. Omaggio all’Italia – Mario Testino, Alain Elkann – Hard cover, 25.8 x 36cm, 2.80kg, 254 pages – Multilingual Edition: English, Italian

TASCHEN Store Brussels, Grand Sablon/ Grote Zavel, Rue Lebeaustraat 18, 1000 Brussels www.taschen.be

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