Mario Testino releases Sir - allure of men

In SIR, Mario Testino presents over 300 photographs in his search to define the allure of men. Including many unpublished works from his archive of thousands, SIR traces the evolution of the male in Testino’s photographs over the past three decades of his career. In these pages the body, costume, tradition, gender play, portraiture, photojournalism, constructed realities and fashion collide.

In SIR we see Testino’s career-long exploration as an inquisitive observer of masculinity in all of its modes, from B?ziers to Cusco, Seville to Arles, Rio to London. “It has been a surprise to see now just how many different kinds of pictures of men I’ve taken over the past thirty years…” said Testino.
“Also I think that the way men are seen in photography, in fashion, and the way that men look at pictures of themselves has changed in recent years. It is a subject that has come into focus. The masculine image, a man’s personal style, changing attitudes to the male face and body…”

Every photograph represents a unique point of view, and a new visual connection between photographer and sitter. With Josh Hartnett for VMAN (2005), Testino evokes the fall of Helmut Berger in the abyss of Luchino Visconti’s The Damned. He channels Cecil Beaton with Michael Howells for W (1995) and revives the universe of Jean Cocteau for M?nner Vogue (1988). Studies of Brad Pitt, George Clooney, David Genat, Jude Law and Colin Firth are as candid as they are curious. David Beckham, David Bowie, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards feature for the courage they have taken in establishing their own identity and contributing to the redefinition of masculinity for an often conventional public in which Testino’s work has played its part.

Information: www.mariotestino.com