Benetton's Provocative Art Director Returns

Oliviero Toscani, the photographer/art director behind many of Benetton's most controversial ads, has just released his first campaign for the fashion chain since rejoining as art director.

Depicting 28 Benetton-clad schoolchildren of different ethnicities in an Italian primary school, the new image [below] is a clear comment on the importance of multiculturalism and immigration in an increasingly divided world.

It's a far cry, however, from the shock-tactic adverts Toscani masterminded during his 18-year tenure at Benetton, which were banned and awarded in equal measures, helped boost the brand's international profile and profits, and eventually led to a parting of ways in 2000.

Below, we've trawled the archives and rounded up five of Toscani's most provocative print ads.

1. Hearts (1996)

This image of human hearts (which were actually pig hearts) was a simple but powerful statement against racism.

2. La Pieta (1990)

Toscani's reworking of a black-and-white photo of AIDS activist David Kirby on his deathbed won the 1991 European Art Director Club award for best campaign, but also sparked widespread condemnation for the religious parallels it drew between the deaths of Kirby and Jesus, as well as the supposed promotion of homosexuality.

3. Nun and Priest (1992)

One of Toscani's most iconic images featured a beautiful young nun kissing a handsome priest, and was condemned for "trivializing, mocking, profaning and offending religious values."

4. Breastfeeding (1989)

Released alongside an image of black and white hands handcuffed together, this ad was the first to signal Benetton's change in marketing strategy, moving away from product-led advertising towards provocative social commentary.

5. Sentenced To Death (2000)

The campaign which ultimately cost Toscani his job used images of convicts on America's Death Row to get across its anti-death penalty message. It was received poorly across the US, with Chicago retailer Sears pulling its Benetton stock, and the state of Pennsylvania calling for a national boycott.