Fashion photographer Mario Testino has had a career spanning almost 40 years. From lensing Princess Di to famously shooting that Tom Ford-era banned Gucci campaign with the ‘G’ shaped pubic hair, he has probably done it all.
Throughout his career, sexuality (and nudity) have remained integral to his work, something he shares with the late, great Helmut Newton. And while the pair may not have had the chance to work together, a new exhibition at the Helmut Newton Foundation – entitled Mario Testino: Undressed – gives viewers the opportunity to immerse themselves in the work of both photographers. Simultaneously running alongside the Testino-dedicated exhibition is Helmut Newton: Unseen, an exploration of the bold black-and-white sexually-charged photography Newton is known for. A further exhibition, Jean Pigozzi: Pool Party, is also on display and features snaps from the 80s and 90s of VIPs like Naomi Campbell, Mick Jagger and Bono sunning themselves poolside at Pigozzi’s house.
With its opening over the weekend, Undressed is reportedly the largest scale exhibition for the gallery, with some of the images scaling the walls over 10 feet high, and 23 feet wide. According to Testino, the idea is to stop viewers from getting distracted by turning them from a voyeur into a participant. Not that there is any danger of that, considering most of the billboard size images leave little to the imagination. And for those who want Testino’s best portraits to look back over at a later date, Taschen are releasing a book of the same title available now alongside the exhibition.
Mario Testino: Undressed is open from June 3rd - November 19th at Helmut Newton Foundation, Berlin
