For the first time in Argentina, MALBA will present the work of Mario Testino, one of the world’s most prolific fashion and portrait photographers. The exhibition In Your Face—first shown at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston in 2012—is an intimate and provocative insight into the different aspects of Testino’s work. It features many of his most audacious and daring pictures, giving the viewer close-up insight into his world through 122 personally selected images.

In Your Face juxtaposes some of Testino’s most well-known images from his many years working with magazines, including Vogue and Vanity Fair, and fashion houses such as Gucci and Versace, with candid and personal snapshots. The exhibition reflects the interplay of mass media, glamour and the icons of popular culture and, through its installation, offers the observer a more intimate and emotive connection with the works, their subjects, the artist himself and his fearless ability to let go.

The selection of works represents the idea of a permanent collection taken from a museum, where different artists and genres are hung together. The full range of Testino’s photographic career is shown here, with no one style prevailing over another, creating provocative contrasts and contradictions.

Testino has sequenced the works positioning formal portraits with private snapshots, nudes with fashion, black and white with color. They are displayed on a ledge to emphasize these juxtapositions, and to reinforce the reaction that one image brings after the other. 

His unique style and intuitive ability to capture moments and create emotional connections have made Mario Testino one of the most well known photographers in the world. In Your Face gathers works that combine key elements of contemporary culture, inviting spectators to enter an aesthetically beautiful world of glamour, sensuality and sophistication.

Mario Testino is one of the world’s most influential photographers. Born in Lima, Peru, he moved to London in 1976, where he made his home and where he began his career. His vision has made him a much sought-after creative partner in the fashion and beauty industries today. 

As a portrait photographer, Mario Testino works with the actors, beauties and worldwide celebrities of the moment, as well as receiving royal commissions from HRH The Prince of Wales, TRH The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, HRH Prince Harry, Diana Princess of Wales, and Her Majesty Queen Rania al Abdullah of Jordan. Many exhibitions of his photography have been held in museums and galleries around the world throughout the course of his career. 

In July 2012 Testino established MATE, Asociación Mario Testino in Lima, Peru. MATE is a not-for-profit cultural organization that will promote and celebrate the arts of his native country and permanently host his own work.

In 2013 he was awarded the Order of the British Empire in recognition of his services to photography and charity.