Mario Testino: Unfiltered

A world exclusive and for the first time in Italy, 29 ARTS IN PROGRESS gallery is proud to present “Mario Testino: Unfiltered”, the first major exhibition of this celebrated artist and photographer’s work never shown before in a gallery. The show will take place in two consecutive exhibitions in Milan, the first from 1st of October – 27th of November and the second from 2nd of December 2021 – 28th of February 2022. Alongside his rarest and most iconic large format photographs, the Milanese gallery will also present an exclusive and unpublished body of work available in new formats and editions, thereby revealing a lesser known, more spontaneous and personal side of the artist’s oeuvre.

“Shooting images continuously and for many years, it’s nice to sometimes stop and self-reflect, to examine that which others see and take from my photographs.” – Mario Testino

The ambitious exhibition will bring to the attention of Italian and International collectors more than 50 artworks carefully selected by the gallery owners and Mario Testino. The exhibition will include not only the photographer’s most beloved muses, in both iconic and previously unpublished shots, but it will also demonstrate the photographer’s vast creativity, as much in fashion as in his most intimate portraits, brought together in an ode to Italy. The exhibition, in fact, will include a selection of works from the recent publication Ciao (Taschen, 2020), a book dedicated to the artist’s love affair with Italy. “Discovering Italy was a powerful experience that has captured my imagination. I felt a profound connection with everything I saw around me. I loved the people, the landscape, the architecture, and how art and beauty were such a casual, natural part of life.” – Mario Testino.

Part two of the exhibition will contain a body of never before seen work, intimate portraits, authentic snapshots of an artist’s life lived to the fullest, alongside a few of the faces that have left an indelible mark on his extraordinary career. “Working with Mario Testino and his team has been a great pleasure and honour for us” say Eugenio Calini and Luca Casulli, owners of 29 ARTS IN PROGRESS gallery. “It’s wonderful to have the chance to get know the more authentic side of an artist of such talent and above all observe the great trust he has placed in us, a trust which is at the heart of any successful relationship.” The exhibition “Mario Testino: Unfiltered” will open to the public on the 1st of October 2021 at the gallery in Via San Vittore 13, Milan.

Mario Testino 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, transgressing cultures and gender to document all people of the world. Testino’s work has been exhibited in museums around the world, including the Helmut Newton Foundation in Berlin (Undressed, 2017), the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (In Your Face, 2012), the Shanghai Art Museum (Private View, 2012) and the National Portrait Gallery in London (Portraits, 2002). Continuing his discerning vision of the world, Testino’s most recent body of work is an artistic exploration of cultural identity, part of a wider project to highlight diverse beauty. As he travels the world, Testino reveals what makes traditional culture in each country special, challenging us to find a more sustainable balance between growth and preservation of cultural heritage. More than 17 books of his photography have been published, including Ciao, Kate Moss by Mario Testino, Sir, Alta Moda and Fina Estampa. Alongside his 40-year practice as a photographer, Testino has realised a body of work as a creative director, guest editor, art collector, philanthropist and museum founder contributing to his homeland of Peru through the cultivation and promotion of South American culture and heritage. In recognition for his contribution not only to photography but also of the support he gives to many charitable causes, Testino was awarded the Legion of Honour of France in 2017, the Order of the British Empire in 2013, and the Grand Cross Order of Merit in Peru, in 2010. In October 2016, Testino opened the first Parques Teresita playpark in association with the Naked Heart Foundation. The recreational parks are located in underprivileged areas and provide children with safe spaces for play and family integration that stimulate them as a part of their healthy development.

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