MARIO DE LIMA TESTINO, THE RETURN OF PERU'S PRODIGAL SON, AT THE REOPENING OF MALI (MUSEUM OF ART OF LIMA)

MALI, Museo de Arte de Lima



Mario Testino's Portraits exhibition and Lima's high society


Green label whiskey


Young Peruvians: 'How difficult it must be not to be Peruvian', the Mario Testino T-shirt


Kate Moss listening to Mario's opening discourse

Homecoming king, Mario Testino, 'self exiled' in London since 1986, returned to Lima for the re-opening of MALI, the Museum of Modern Art Lima, with his traveling exhibition 'Portraits' first shown in London's National Gallery in 2002, which features a series of celebrities shot by Mario during the last 15 years.

For the past decade Mario has been determinant in reinserting a sense of pride to Peruvian culture, as an international ambassador of Peru, and a supporter of young contemporary artists from his homeland. Recently he edited 'Lima, Peru' a photo book on his homecity. A passionate art collector, he has also curated exhibitions of Latin American and International artists he admires, including exhibitions curated by him at Andrea Rosen in 2004 and Yvon Lambert in 2007.

His 1998 book 'Any Objections' was influential on my own 'discovery' of Rio de Janeiro, and being an admirer of his work, I wish someone would soon curate an exhibition of his personal and much less seen work, and which includes amazing photographs of normal couples kissing in the beach of Lima...