This September, Shake It Up at Sotheby’s in London will cast a first, fully-embracing light on Mario Testino’s artistic journey with an exhibition, and ultimate sale, of over 300 works which form part of his personal collection. An imaginatively installed exhibition - directed and designed by Testino himself - will reveal the constant and lively dialogue the legendary Peruvian photographer enjoys with some of the greatest artists of our time. Over a series of live and online auctions, a curated group of paintings, photographs, works on paper and sculpture, will be offered to benefit the Museo MATE, Peru.

“ I always wanted to collect things that weren’t like me. I’ve always been excited by everything that makes me look at something differently ” / MARIO TESTINO

Alongside the two auctions of international contemporary art on the 13 and 14 September (click here for a dedicated press release) Sotheby’s will stage an online sale of 88 photographs that have inspired and influenced Testino’s own remarkable work in the medium. The collection is marked by a deep intellectual and visual curiosity which has fed Testino’s own ever-evolving visual vocabulary. “I always wanted to collect things that weren’t like me. I’ve always been excited by everything that makes me look at something differently” Testino says.

Testino started collecting photography in the 1980s - 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 contemporary practitioners which are the focus of the online auction. The collection is a unique and important archive of the work of pioneering contemporary fine-art and documentary photographers. Many of the artists are multidisciplinary and use photography alongside their performance, installation, film, drawing, painting and sculptural practice. Highlights include works by Vanessa Beecroft, Olafur Eliasson, Nan Goldin, Florian Maier-Aichen, Andres Serrano, Wolfgang Tillmans, Gregory Crewdson, Martin Parr and Richard Mosse, among many others.

“This carefully curated group of photographs from the Mario Testino Collection is an education in the importance and value of photography in contemporary art. The best art affords us a journey and exploration into new ways of thinking and understanding the world around us; this group of contemporary photography achieves precisely that.” - Brandei Estes, Sotheby’s Head of Photographs, London Bidding for the online auction of Photographs from the Mario Testino Collecton will open at 3pm on September 1 close at 3pm on September 15. In 2012 Mario Testino established the not- for-profit Museo MATE in Lima to promote and support local and global culture in Peru. Proceeds from the auction will go toward the expansion of the centre’s programme of exhibitions, residencies and education initiatives (further information on MATE can be found here).

For further details on the collection, exhibition and programme of events please visit sothebys.com/ShakeItUp.