Mario the Maestro – His Symphony of a Lifetime
The movie “Maestro” portrays a legendary maestro of music, Leonard Bernstein and his wife, Felicia Montealegre, with whom he had an intermittent relationship. In the movie, she quotes the following words, loosely based on a Vincent Millay sonnet:
“If summer doesn’t sing in you, then nothing sings in you. And if nothing sings in you, then you can’t make music.”
The Bernstein we see at the end of “Maestro” promises that summer still does sing in him. The quote suggests that creativity stems from an inner source of joy and vitality (“summer”). Thisis apt for Mario Testino, who, as a “Maestro” in photography, constantly creates from his inner “summer.”
Three Women of the Thari, Tharparkar Pakistan 2024
MARIO TESTINO “I started from nothing, so success for me is related to all of a sudden being completely independent creatively and economically. To be able to do what I wanted took me a long time. I was immersed deeply in the fashion business for thirty-two years, and I loved working in fashion, but there comes a time when you have to face it that you’re no longer the young, cool photographer, and fashion, you know, is about youth. Since I retired from business, I decided to dedicate my time to something I really like but related to what I did in fashion; I feel very privileged because I think I’ve learned a lot and applied it to this project, “A Beautiful World”.
In Rome, at Palazzo Bonaparte, on May 23rd, amidst the crowded group of journalists, photographers, and admirers, “summer” was singing inside Mario Testino.
After seven long years, filled with travels to discover and capture the incredible authentic beauty of our rich world, the only true one is the silent one. The beauty that goes unnoticed by many ignored, the one nobody ever taught us to recognise and appreciate. Mario Testino inaugurated the path of “A Beautiful World” with a bang, an exhibition that perhaps marks his career’s most romantic turning point. Finally, the Maestro stands again with his own voice, just for himself, announcing with decisiveness and serenity his retirement from fashion and all projects desired by others. His solo exhibition is powerful and disarming, intentionally not the protagonist, because, as only good maestros know how to do, he leaves the brightest spot on the stage to a choir of ancient voices, to the world’s wonders that only he could discover, capture and gift us. From now on, Mario will follow only his music.
MT “Maybe somewhere around the world, we forgot to look at the beautiful things. I noticed that if you open a newspaper with something positive, it’s probably on the tenth page because nobody cares. People are only interested in how many people were killed and how many people were bombed… And then you start thinking, “Why are we doing this to ourselves?” The world is already in a difficult place for us to destroy it, and even more to destroy ourselves with it.”
“It was interesting that many people said to me, “Thank you for looking at us because nobody does.” The world has forgotten them, and I’m lucky that what I love can actually affect other people and teach them to look at things differently. But it’s just by coincidence that this happened. It’s bizarre that I get so excited finding these little treasures around the world because for many people, maybe it doesn’t mean anything, but I find them quite amazing.”
A Sahrawi, Dakhla Morocco 2019
The exhibition received the blessing of two of Mario’s dearest friends in the industry: Barrett Wissman, who sponsored the exhibition at the Palazzo Colonna in Rome, through his venture; DOMVS ARTIVM (Domus Artium), which allows historic homes and palaces to be used for exhibitions, and Patrick Kinmonth, who curated it as artistic director. Patrick, like a few others consistently predicted to Mario, “You know, you have a good eye for portraits; maybe you should do it as a profession.”
Mario’s introduction at the inaugural press conference marked a subtle reference to his conflicting detachment from the fashion world. Leaving the fashion industry in the past, the exhibition correlates to Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 2, “Resurrection”, or as Patrick himself said, “revenge” – a comeback of brilliant photography after the seven-year hiatus. How funny, immersed among the crowded rows of the main hall, on hearing that word, I immediately thought of the one who marked another historic moment in Mario’s career, his dear friend Lady Diana, Princess of Wales, and her revenge dress, black and sharp. It is an interesting and curious comparison.
MT “When I was in fashion, I learned very early that it is all about the person in the photograph, not who took it, not who arranged it, not who led it. For many years, I put the model, the celebrity, and whoever was in front of my camera in the first place. I was busy selling clothes rather than looking at things that have no commercial value, that are just beautiful for themselves. Funny enough, I feel more like a photographer than ever in this project. I was so concentrated on what I would photograph that the photography side became secondary.”
“In life, having a second chance is a wonderful thing. This new adventure of mine encapsulates a completely different conversation with my characters and their clothes. The contribution of those who have worked alongside me throughout these journeys has been fundamental. If you look at it with the right eyes, it’s simply magical, truly incredible. The place where we find ourselves today was the palace of Napoleon Bonaparte’s mother, Letizia, and to have this meeting of cultures right here, coming from all over the world, from the most remote corners of the earth in the setting of Rome, I find it significant.”
Mario, the maestro, returns after many years; to contrive, to shine, letting his art speak for itself in Italy. Regaining his glory in one of the cities that has given him so much in the past. Mario took the floor and talked about the cultures and people he discovered and photographed, dwelling on Latin America, particularly Peru (his birthplace). Emotion took over; his voice broke, the room fell silent, and then came back to life in resounding applause. Eyes moist but with happiness and a touch of nostalgia, that feeling that comes to those who know they’ve come a long way through victories and defeats.
MT “Where do I belong? Well, I have to say that something makes me feel like I’m a ‘worldly’ person because I feel good everywhere I go, and that’s odd! It’s true; I live in Italy because life has brought me here, but I feel comfortable “ovunque” (Italian for ‘everywhere’).”
“I find it very difficult to speak of Peru. I always seem to be over-emotional. I don’t know if this is because I left young or because I long to go back somewhere that’s home… Because that’s my home. My parents advised me when I first left that I would never be English and never be Peruvian again because I hadn’t lived there for almost fifty years. Even though I wanted to be English, I’ll never be one of them because I’m not. I don’t have their culture; I don’t think like them. I admire them, but I’d find it hard to be me.”
Man Tattooed by Horiyoshi III, Yokohama Japan 2019
Reflecting on my conversation with my new friend Jeannette Montgomery Barron, an American photographer, you learn one fundamental thing with time and age. A gift that only those who genuinely know how to listen receive, something that is generated from experience: knowing how to distinguish what belongs to us and what does not. The modus operandi of living, taking only the useful and abandoning the superfluous, leads to wisdom and peace. It’s the closest thing to happiness.
Days after that press conference, I met Mario again for our interview. While the set was being prepared, we settled down and started chatting in Italian, and suddenly, he told me, “Do you know why I chose to live in Noto? Actually, for no particular reason, it was the city that called me, and when in life something calls you, how can you say no?” His eyes are sincere, calm like the water of a deep ocean; just because you see it calm does not mean it has never been through a storm. Finally, I believe Mario Testino has won the most critical challenge, the one we all fight and that very few win, and many of us lose, and unfortunately, too many don’t even begin—the challenge with ourselves. There is no “revenge” here but an immense sense of relief. As Alda Merini, the Italian poet once said, “In the end, the best revenge is always happiness.”
MT “I have always given my best, but I must admit that life has given me so much. With every shot, I have tried to understand who I am because, among all things, that is the most difficult to discover. We must conquer our fears and our insecurities. But slowly, you get far. I’ve done twenty- three countries; there are many more still…”
“As my dad said a long time ago, “Life always decides for you. “ That’s so true… How much can we decide? Life is pretty powerful!”
“With every shot, I have tried to understand who I am, because among all things, that is the most difficult to discover. We must conquer our fears and our insecurities.”
Special thanks go to MARIOTESTINO+, Art Partner, Arthemisia and LR Communicazione.
opening image MEN OF THE MAASAI, MBIRIKANI COMMUNITY CHYULU HILL SKENYA 2023
all photos by MARIO TESTINO
author NICCOLÒ LAPO LATINI