Testino’scollectingstartedwithphotography–specifically a portrait of Vivien Leigh by the surrealist photographer Angus McBean. His initial focus was on early and mid-20th century photography before moving on to more contemporary practitioners including Andres Serrano, Nan Goldin, Adam Fuss and Thomas Demand among others. Moving beyond his own chosen medium, his passion for contemporary art was sparked through his close-friendship with the London-based gallerist Sadie Coles. Through Coles he was introduced to fine artists who were using photography in new ways; artists like Richard Prince who appropriated and transformed images from advertisements and glossy magazines. “It was a great learning curve for me”, Testino says, “exploring how photography can be used in so many different ways”.

The ‘discovery’ of Prince marked a key early moment in Testino’s collecting journey, which has since taken him to almost every corner of the world, embracing works in every medium by the most important artists working today. But while the collection is truly international in its scope, it is at the same time unmistakably that of a passionate and proud Peruvian, with so many of the most important Latin American contemporary artists represented. There is work by the Brazilian artists Adriana Verajão and Vik Muniz, by the Colombian born Oscar Murillo and, of course, works by Peruvian artists including William Cordova and Miguel Aguirre.

Further details on the collection, exhibition and programme of events will be announced in the coming weeks, for more information please visit sothebys.com/ShakeItUp.