Private View

Mario Testino is known for the extraordinary way in which he can capture the most private of moments. His spontaneous, intimate portraits offer the viewer new perspectives on famous faces and also create new fashion icons. For "Private View", Testino selected the pictures that meant most to him, choosing to show all of the different sides of his creative output. The influences on his portraiture for example, owe a lot to his fashion photographs and in turn his work with The Royal Family. The show is Testino’s own private view of the world. “I wanted to show my work in China, somewhere I have never exhibited before, by selecting the images that mean most to me personally at the moment.”

On photographing the many stars whose portraits are included in the exhibition, Testino said: “Photographing the famous is fascinating. We see so many images of them that we can forget that they are real people, and that’s the very aspect I like to show. When I photograph someone I want to understand them – their fun side, their soft side, their sexy side – whatever it may be that I discover when I am with them. Sometimes it can lead to very surprising results.“

2013 – Seoul Art Centre, Seoul, South Korea
2012 – Today Art Museum, Beijing, China
2012 – Shanghai Art Museum, Shanghai, China
2010 – Museo de Arte de Lima, Lima
2006 – Museo San Ildelfonso, Mexico City
2004 – Metropolitan Museum of Photography, Tokyo
2003 – Foam Museum of Photography, Amsterdam
2003 – National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh

2002 – Museo Palazzo Reale, Milan
2002 – National Portrait Gallery, London