Mario Testino in Gstaad – The Lights, the Legends and the Cows
Beatrice Lessi
I went to the opening of the Patricia Low Contemporary show in Gstaad and it felt a bit unreal in the best way.
Mario Testino was there in person. And not just “present in the room” — present as in talking, laughing, remembering, reacting, telling stories like someone who still gets excited by what happens in front of the lens.
The conversation was led by Simon de Pury, and he did something that is rarer than you’d think: he made a global superstar feel relaxed enough to be human. When Testino drifted into a side story (as brilliant storytellers do), Simon gently caught the thread and brought him back — without killing the spontaneity.
If you’re in Gstaad right now, it’s genuinely worth stepping in. The exhibition runs from 31 January to 14 February 2026.
The first thing I need to say: Diana
Before the supermodels, before the “90s fashion universe” became a whole aesthetic language, there was one person I personally fell in love with through Testino’s photos:
For me, he captured something modern in her — something that feels like the opposite of stiff. A kind of ease. A realness. And yes: soul.
There’s also a detail I loved hearing: Testino said he only spent one day with her for that shoot (and saw her on other occasions, but not in a “we were friends” way). That matters, because it makes the result feel even more like a photographic miracle: one session, and he got that kind of intimacy.
Then came the moment that made everyone laugh.
He told her: move, dance, do something — let me catch you in motion.
And she basically didn’t.
He asked why.
And she replied (deadpan): “I’m not Peruvian.”
Because he is. And because he’s a tall man (he’s 71 now), you can absolutely imagine how striking he must have been growing up in Peru. The whole thing was charming, funny, and very… human.
The 90s: supermodels, magazine magic, and my own little “mood boards”
I’m Italian, and the 90s fashion era was huge for me.
I was born in 1966 — so at this opening I’m 59 (turning 60 this year). And in my 20s, I used to make collages from magazine photos: cutting out makeup looks, poses, light, composition — keeping them like little pieces of inspiration.
I didn’t call it “a mood board” because we didn’t have that language yet. But that’s what it was.
And I’m still chasing a very specific kind of light — especially the light in those Diana portraits.
There’s also another shoot I have in my head with that same natural-light magic (I think it was Jennifer Aniston — but don’t quote me on the name). It’s that soft, flattering, honest glow that doesn’t scream “studio,” even when it’s absolutely crafted.
The Kate Moss story I didn’t want to end
Another anecdote that stayed with me was about Kate Moss.
She had been fully made-up — heavy, colourful, iconic. And then at the end she took a shower and came out with a towel / bathrobe vibe, towel on her head.
Testino told her: you’re more beautiful like that.
So he started photographing.
And those images became a whole thing — the kind of “effortless intimacy” look people still copy online.
What I loved most was his comment about process: he’s not the photographer who arrives with a grand plan carved in stone. He’s the one who reacts fast to what life gives him — and lets himself be surprised by his own life.
The new work in this show: animals, tradition, and very Swiss cows
This exhibition isn’t only a nostalgia trip through fashion history.
It also includes newer work that feels quite different in subject and mood — animals, tradition, and images made around Switzerland (including Saanenland) alongside other places.
Yes, there was a lot of cow talk — in a good way.
Simon mentioned how relaxing the sound of Swiss cowbells is (very Swiss, very true). They even talked about the details of tradition: how “believable” a photo feels depending on the season, the flowers, the timing — and whether the cow herself feels anything when she’s all dressed up in floral glory.
It was exactly the kind of conversation you don’t get from press releases. Informal, a bit nerdy, and unexpectedly sweet.
Practical info if you want to go
Exhibition: Mario Testino (curated by Simon de Pury)
Where: Patricia Low Contemporary, Promenade 55, 3780 Gstaad
Dates: 31 Jan – 14 Feb 2026
Hours (as listed): Tue–Thu 13:00–18:30, Fri–Sat 10:00–19:30, Sun 15:00–18:30
A short, honest note about what someone told me on the way out
As we were leaving, someone mentioned controversies around Testino and past allegations.
I didn’t go down the rabbit hole that night, because I was there for the work, the conversation, and the experience — and it was uplifting.
But for correctness: in 2018, multiple people publicly accused Testino of sexual misconduct; he denied the allegations, and Condé Nast/Vogue said they would suspend commissioning new work from him at the time.
I’m not writing this to minimise anyone’s pain, and I’m not writing it to pretend it doesn’t exist.
I’m writing it because two things can be true at once:
- People deserve to be heard and protected.
- I can still describe the opening I attended — truthfully — as a beautiful, artistically energising experience.
My takeaway
Some openings feel like networking.
This one felt like being invited into decades of images — and then being reminded that the best photographers aren’t just “planners.”
They’re listeners.
They notice.
They react.
And sometimes, they tell a princess to dance… and she replies: “I’m not Peruvian.”
