( October, 30, 1954, Lima, Perú)

Mario Testino, is a Peruvian fashion photographer based in London, England.

He was born in Lima, capital of Peru in 1954. He studied elementary school at the Immaculate Heart College and secondary school at the Santa Maria Marianistas College. He entered the University of the Pacific to study Economics, then the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru to study Law, and later the University of San Diego, California, where he studied International Relations.

In 1976 he moved to London, England, acquiring an apartment inside an abandoned hospital. It is in this city that he began to learn about photography. Her career in the fashion world had humble beginnings: she sold portfolios to aspiring models for the sum of £ 25, including makeup and hair styling. He is currently very successful and his work is recognized worldwide for his bold fashion photography and imaginative advertising campaigns.

In 2011 he received the gold medal from the Queen Sofia Institute of New York and in 2013 he was awarded by the British Crown with the Order of the British Empire for his “contributions to photography and social good”.

Work

Many fashion magazines, such as Vogue or Vanity Fair, have requested their services to decorate their pages. Many famous celebrities and models have posed in front of Testino’s lens, including: Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Miley Cyrus, Gisele Bündchen, Coco Rocha, Candice Swanepoel, Kate Winslet, Kim Basinger, Jennifer Lopez, Naomi Campbell, Christina Aguilera, Cameron Diaz, Elizabeth Hurley, Janet Jackson, Nicole Kidman, Britney Spears, Keira Knightley, Lindsay Lohan, Madonna, Kate Moss, Gwyneth Paltrow, Julia Roberts, Meg Ryan, Robert Downey Jr. and Catherine Zeta-Jones.

In addition, apart from British royalty: 3 Princess Diana, Prince Charles and their son Prince Harry, Patrick Dempsey, Emma Watson, a photoshoot in France of actress Kristen Stewart and a photoshoot of Nick Jonas, among others.

Exhibitions

Testino’s work has been exhibited in several galleries and museums, including the National Portrait Gallery in London4 and the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in Madrid.