Todo o Nada

Initiated by the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in Madrid, the touring exhibition "Todo o Nada" first opened in 2010. The show reveals the two opposing concepts found in Mario Testino’s work: fashion and the nude.

The 54 photographs in "Todo o Nada", contemplate the process and implication understood from the act of removing one’s clothes. It is a voyage from haute couture to nudity, including the intermediary process that implies baring the human figure. In this sense, the show includes photographs in which a model wears extravagant dresses and is characterised by a deliberate desire for theatricality, alongside others in which she is seen unclothed as if in homage to famous images of Spanish art such as Goya’s fashionable young women (his Majas).

The Exhibition

When the show first opened in Madrid, its aim was to establish a dialogue between Thyssen-Bornemisza’s prestigious permanent collection and Testino’s own photographs. “Exhibiting in a museum with such an extraordinary collection, is a privilege for any artist working today. Many of the artists and works in the collection have influenced and inspired me. The museum is remarkable, not just for the collection that it houses, but also for the space, which enhances the work of any artist.”

The opening of Todo o Nada at Palazzo Ruspoli, Rome, 2011

"Todo o Nada" is an ode to the “Testino woman”; the iconic character that Testino has defined and redefined over the course of his thirty-year career. She is a woman who moves at totally opposing poles: “I like strong, independent women. Women who despite their strength never lose their femininity. Women with personality who can reflect both their own desires and ours.”

The exhibition is supported by a catalogue published by Thyssen-Bornemisza.

2012 – MATE Museo Mario Testino, Lima
2011 – Palazzo Ruspoli, Rome
2010 – Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid

Todo o Nada

The Exhibition

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