12 http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk
T
he status of Mario Testino in the
world of photography is clear if you
consider that he’s one of precious
few photographers who are instantly
identifiable by their surname alone – think
Bailey, Duffy, McCullin, Rankin and Cartier-
Bresson. Best known for his A-list celebrity
portraits and fashion work this new book
(published in June 2020) sees Testino’s lens
trained firmly on Italy over a 40-year period.
The hefty book weighs just under 3kg and is
split into three distinct sections – In Giro (out
and about), Alla Moda (in fashion) and Al Mare
(at sea) – with Peru-born Testino taking a trip
through his Italian roots. There’s the obvious
synergy of Testino’s fashion background with
the style of Italy – this is demonstrated in
dozens of iconic fashion photographs and the
story behind how Testino’s big break in fashion
came from Italian magazines.
Pictorially this book is typical Testino –
liberally peppered with intensely vibrant colourPublished by Taschen, £60, 254 pages, hardback, ISBN 978-3-8365-7881-
(multilingual English/Italian edition) ★★★★★Ciao!
Mario Testino & Alain Elkann
Mario Testino’s book Ciao! is a
personal ode to a country that
captured his imagination over
fourdecades. Steve Fairclough
explores further
BOOK
Avola, 2018