Oliviero Toscani (b. 1942) from Italy has written advertising history with his work. His training at the Kunstgewerbeschule Zürich (today ZHdK) from 1961 to 1965 laid the foundations for an international career as a photographer, creative director, and image editor. As a student he won a competition for a trip to New York, a city that has always been a melting pot of club culture. After that first stay in Manhattan, Toscani began to immerse himself in the scene, meeting artists at Limelight, Studio 54, and Max’s Kansas City, and also musicians including Lou Reed and Patti Smith, the “Godmother of Punk.” “The portrait is one of my favorite themes, no matter who is in front of the lens. The sitter’s gaze is the key,” says Toscani. He always asks the subject to take a picture of themselves through the camera, i.e., to look directly into the lens as they wish to be seen. Some of the people he has portrayed were still unknowns at the time, while others were already superstars. “Both are very easy to work with: They have nothing to prove.”
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