Mario Testino, Private View

The photographer who can do it allIf photography had a royal family, Mario Testino would be its reigning prince. So omnipresent is he at major magazine shoots and A-list events--an insider if ever there was one--that the mere mention of his name evokes a rush of adrenalin in anyone that cares, even a bit, about the worlds of fashion and celebrity. He is, too a terrific portraitist (frequently of real Royals), and what this book brings together is a smashing selection of his best studio work with gorgeous examples of his candid shots. Elizabeth Hurley perched on a piano wrapping her legs around Elton John, anyone? A beaming Gwyneth Paltrow clutching her freshly-won Oscar? Diana, Princess of Wales, and her handsome sons? Yes, please. A selection of Testino's best recent advertising and fashion works rounds out this luscious and stupendously heterogeneous array, begging the question: does Mario Testino ever sleep? Contributing authors: Graydon Carter, Jennifer Allen, and Patrick Kinmonth. Published on the occasion of the 2012 exhibition of the same name at the Today Art Museum in Beijing, China.