As he continued to experiment, many critics denounced his photos as being overly suggestive and unnecessarily risqué. His erotically charged, often menacing imagery also pushed the morally acceptable conventions of the time, raising more than a few eyebrows within the fashion industry. Preferring to work outside the confines of the studio, he searched for elaborate alternative backdrops – such as turn-of- the-century mansions, elegant villas, and distinguished hotels – to use as the stages for his models. Elle, Paris 1969 ©Helmut Newton Foundation, Berlin And just as designers back then were bending the conventions of what we wear, Newton sought to bend the conventions of fashion photography, which he found rather stifling at times. His work from that era documented the exciting fashion revolution then going on, chronicling the emergence of everything from miniskirts to go-go boots. Newton’s definitive style came into its own during the swinging 60s in Paris, the city he moved to in 1961. Courrèges, Queen, Paris 1964 ©Helmut Newton Foundation, Berlin It was to be the fortuitous beginning of a long and illustrious career. This led to a 12-month contract with British Vogue, which took him to London in early 1957. In 1953 he had his first photography exhibit – a joint show with Wolfgang Sievers – and as his reputation as a fashion photographer grew, he received a commission to work on Vogue magazine’s Australian supplement. After the war he officially changed his last name to Newton, and during the affluent postwar years he set up a studio in Melbourne where he worked on fashion, theatre, and industrial photography assignments. He was released from internment in 1942, and later enlisted with the Australian Army, thus enabling him to become an Australian citizen. Fashion, Melbourne 1955 ©Helmut Newton Foundation, BerlinĪfter World War II broke out, he was interned by British authorities in Singapore and was eventually sent to Australia. Newton’s parents fled to Argentina, but young Helmut ended up on a ship bound for Singapore, where he settled briefly and worked as a photographer for the Straits Times and then as a portrait photographer. However, just two years later his family made the desperate decision to escape Germany, as the persecution of Jews by Nazi authorities continued to escalate. By the age of 12 he had purchased his first camera, a Box Brownie made by Eastman Kodak, and by 16 he was working under the well-known German photographer Yva (Elsie Neuländer Simon). Helmut’s interest in photography began early on. Legacy’, did finally open to the public late last year – fittingly on October 31 – and is scheduled to run until May 22, 2022. However, the exhibition, simply entitled ‘Helmut Newton. To commemorate the centenary of his birth, the Helmut Newton Foundation in Berlin had planned a grand retrospective of his life and work to be unveiled in 2020, but unfortunately the Covid-19 pandemic scuttled those anniversary plans. He was born Helmut Neustädter, the son of Jewish parents, in Berlin on October 31, 1920. Tropez 1975 ©Helmut Newton Foundation, Berlin Woman examining Man, Calvin Klein, US Vogue, St. Infamous for his controversial, provocative, and often racy subject matter, his “voyeuristic” images playfully reference film noir, expressionist cinema, surrealism, and even a little S&M. He is perhaps best known for his work with Vogue magazine – spanning the French, German, American, Italian, and Russian editions of the publication – although his full oeuvre also encompasses portrait, glamour, and art photography. Alongside legends such as Richard Avedon and Irving Penn, he is widely regarded as one of the most influential, and most imitated photographers of the 20th century. In the world of fashion photography, Helmut Newton is an iconic figure. Thierry Mugler, American Vogue, Monte Carlo 1995 ©Helmut Newton Foundation, Berlin Prestige takes a look back at the man whose unforgettable images continue to exert a lasting influence on fashion and art. Helmut Newton, one of the towering figures in the world of photography, is the subject of a newly released Taschen art book, which has been published to coincide with a large-scale retrospective exhibit at the Helmut Newton Foundation in Berlin.
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