Human Race, the Oliviero Toscani Studio project at the Palazzo Blu in Pisa

Until June 29, the first exhibition in Italy on one of the great master photographer's most celebrated projects

Through June 29, Palazzo Blu in Pisa hosts Razza Umana, the first major Italian exhibition dedicated to one of the most iconic projects of photographer Oliviero Toscani, who passed away a few months ago. It is a visual and human journey through more than 500 photographic portraits that tell of the diversity, beauty and contradictions of human beings.

Created as a traveling photography studio, Razza Umana is a project that Toscani carried out for years together with his team, traveling to every corner of the planet: from the squares of Italy to African villages, from European metropolises to street festivals. The result is a vast archive of about 100,000 portraits, visual evidence of the morphological, cultural and social variety of humanity.

Razza Umana, Oliviero Toscani Studio

In 2007, just as Palazzo Blu was being born, Toscani had set up one of his photographic sets in Pisa, portraying dozens of citizens in the halls of the museum. Those “local” images are back in the spotlight today, alongside faces collected from all over the world: from Liguria to Japan, from Milan to Cartagena, from Mexico to Namibia.

For Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, in 2018 United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, "these images are a celebration of the individuality and diversity of our fellow human beings. They are loving, joyful, curious, fragile, doubtful, troubled, composed. And when I dwell on these faces, they seem to look back at me, impassive, with shining eyes. They almost speak. These are our people. We belong to them. Each individual in these photographs is different, but they all look like us. Photographs that urge us to act. They ask us to defend and promote the rights of every human being, to fight discrimination, violence and exploitation; to defend the dignity of every woman, man and child."

Razza Umana, Oliviero Toscani Studio

The Human Race project continues to this day, thanks to a dedicated team, always remembering the motto of its creator who liked to say, “I am moved by the uniqueness of each individual and that is why I photograph human beings in their many expressions.”

The exhibition is organized by the Palazzo Blu Foundation in collaboration with Oliviero Toscani Studio, with support from the Pisa Foundation. It will be open until June 29, 2025.

• Hours: Monday - Friday: 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. (last entry 6 p.m.) and Saturday, Sunday and holidays: 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. (last entry 7 p.m.)

• Palazzo Blu, Via Pietro Toselli 29, Pisa

• Info: palazzoblu.it