“Adriana Lima (2018).” This oversized digital pigment print by Raphael Mazzucco is the largest photograph featured in The Michael Aaron Gallagher Fine Art Collection.
If you were to travel back in time to the 1990s and the early 2000s, it would be nearly impossible to miss the pop culture influence of Canadian fashion photographer Raphael Mazzucco’s work across North America. His visually intoxicating images graced the covers and inside pages of some of the biggest fashion magazines in the world, including Vogue, Vanity Fair, and the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.
The Michael Aaron Gallagher Fine Art Collection celebrates two of Raphael Mazzucco‘s iconic, oversized digital pigment prints. The first is his mesmerizing portrait of Victoria’s Secret Angel Adriana Lima from 2018. As the largest framed photograph in the entire art collection, the massive show-stopping image spans approximately 30”x42.” A larger version of this same photograph in resin titled “Stare (2007),” sold at auction for $8,125 with his highest auction result being $35,000 for his artwork. The picture also graces the cover of his photography book called, “Raphael Mazzucco: Collected Art.”
The second, signed oversized digital pigment print by Raphael in the collection is titled “Gisele (circa 2006).” This framed black and white, over-the-shoulder image of supermodel Gisele Bündchen is also around 30”x41.”
To some, it may seem easy to photograph already appealing models. Yet, the mark of a truly great photographer is being able to take a beautiful subject and go beyond the visual storytelling to showcase their exceptional qualities in a way that makes the best look better — perfection perfected. It is with this unique skill, combined with a strong rapport with his models and passion for his art that Mazzucco was able to create pictures that became both memorable and timeless.
Background
“Gisele Bündchen (circa 2006).” This oversized digital pigment print by Raphael Mazzucco is the second largest photograph displayed in The Michael Aaron Gallagher Fine Art Collection.
Born in Vancouver, British Colombia in 1965, Raphael Mazzucco, was once a professional soccer player. According to a 2023 interview with the fashion magazine Schön! Switzerland, Mazzucco was inspired to take up photography after a shoot he did with famed photographer Bruce Weber. Paste magazine also notes that Mazzucco’s first celebrity subject was Grammy award-winning artist Sarah McLachlan. From there, Raphael eventually made his way to exotic locales working with some of the industry’s top supermodels for the covers of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue and the advertising campaigns of Ralph Lauren, Guess and Victoria’s Secret. From supermodels like Gisele Bündchen, Alessandra Ambrosio, Adriana Lima, Elle Macpherson, Rebecca Romijn, Marissa Miller, and Bar Refaeli to Hollywood celebrities including Adrien Brody, Matt Damon, Benicio del Toro, Dakota Fanning and Susan Sarandon, Raphael Mazzucco’s work shows the influence of his background in a way that elevates his pictures.
In addition to his photography, Raphael Mazzucco also produces one-of-a-kind, contemporary multimedia fine art. Drawing from his extensive expertise in visual composition, his wildly abstract expressionist pieces combine layers of photographic collage, blended with words and symbolism. Each piece is doused in pops and splashes of vibrant colors that evoke an emotional response from the viewer. As his artistic process moved from fashion photographer to fine artist, his process evolved into the fascinating use of paint beneath a clear resin finish that coats and preserves his work for generations to come. Mazzucco also leaves his own lasting mark on his creation by pressing his fingerprint into the final layer of resin, which serves as a true stamp of authenticity.
For more information about Raphael Mazzucco’s extraordinary artwork, visit his official website at RaphaelMazzucco.com.
To view more original works in The Michael Aaron Gallagher Fine Art Collection click here. For information about works that have been donated to the collection click here.