About

Born in 1954 in Lima, Peru, Mario Testino moved to London in 1976 beginning to sell portfolios to wannabe models for 25 pounds. Meanwhile he is best known for his highly polished, exotically bright advertising campaigns and his exquisitely styled photographs of the couture scene all of which carry a deceptive air of nonchalance. His professionalism and good nature as well as his unerring ability to take beautiful pictures which sell clothes reason his popularity with designers and fashion editors. Being classed among the Luxury Realists such as Steven Meisel, Craig McDean and David Sims, Mario says he sees his work as a visual rather than an intellectual endeavour. However, his fashion photography is often granted the status of art and has been subject of countless exhibitions, most recently at the National Portrait Gallery in London.