You may not know his story or his name, but surely you know the work of Helmut Newton. Creator of some of the most iconic images in Vogue and in the history of photography, his portraits of women leave no one indifferent.
Throughout this article, we will get to know him in depth, I will show you his work and I will also share some of the Helmut Newton famous quotes.
A good fashion photograph should look like anything but a fashion photograph: a portrait, a souvenir photo, a paparazzi photo…
Helmut Newton
Biography of Helmut Newton
Born Helmut Neustädter on October 31, 1920 in Berlin, Germany, he bought his first camera at the age of 12. At the age of 16 he was already collaborating with the German photographer Elsie Neuländer Simon, known as YVA.
He was the son of a Jewish couple who ran a button factory. Until the Nazis confiscated the family business, he spent his childhood surrounded by luxury and glamour. Something that obviously influenced the way he related to fashion.
With the persecution of the Jews, he fled to Singapore accompanied by his two cameras: a Kodak and a Rolleicord.
Upon his arrival, they got him a job as a photographer at the Straits Times, one of Singapore’s largest newspapers. He did not like his work too much and he was fired.
Drafted into the British Army because he was German, he arrived in Sydney in 1940. Two years later, he was released and enlisted in the Australian Army. After the war, in 1945, he became a British subject.
A year later, he changed his last name to Newton and opened a photography studio where he began his career. idyll with fashion photography. He was not the only idyll of this time, because it was when he met the Australian actress and model June Brunell, known as Alice Springs, a name he adopted in the seventies.
They married in 1948. She greatly influenced his work, as well as being a fellow photographer with whom he shared publications as author and editor.
Helmut and June Newton
In 1950 his first solo exhibition opened at the University of Melbourne. During this decade, she landed a commission for a Vogue magazine supplement., which earned him a contract at Vogue London. However, she traveled to Paris before the end of this because there she did not convince her work.
In Paris he worked for German and French magazines until 1959 when he returned to Australia hired by Vogue Australia.
In the following years he worked with the French magazine Vogue, which published his best photos for 25 years. In addition, she collaborated with the American, Italian and German editions, and other magazines such as Marie Claire, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, Linea Italiana, Queen, Nova or Jardin del Modes.
From then on, his fame increased and worldwide recognition came, accompanied, yes, by some labels that persecuted him throughout his life, such as misogynist or voyeurist. Which did not prevent him from becoming one of the most famous photographers of all time.
He lived his last years between Monte Carlo and New York, until, in 2004, a heart attack caused him to crash his Cadillac in front of the hotel where he was staying in Los Angeles, putting an end to an exhausting and prolific photographic career and a life of love for women and beauty.
Helmut Newton’s work
Helmut’s work is provocative, daring, brazen, feminine, sensual, sexual, seductive, powerful, glamorous, controversial and fetishistic. It is inspired by film noir, expressionism and surrealism.
A constant in her work is power and the female figure. Nudity, heels, long legs, women dressed in men’s clothing and eroticism as the central axis are repeated. Although he was also fascinated by animals and raw meat, which was evident in some of his work.
He did not like to photograph in studio, he preferred his models to pose in large mansions and villas surrounded by luxury and glamour.
While there are those who consider that Helmut was a misogynist for whom women were a mere sexual object, some of those who posed for him declared that in front of his camera they felt more powerful than ever. He himself stated that he loved women and of course, it is a fact that he dedicated his life to photographing them.
What there is no doubt about is the mastery with which he did it. His work is impeccable, prolific, has undoubted strength and leaves no one indifferent.
On the other hand, from what he himself declared in some interview and minimally observing his work, we can affirm that he was a black and white photographer. It seems that he hated color and that the photos of him in color are more the result of accident or carelessness than intention. Apart from the Polaroids, all of his work is in black and white.
In addition to all the magazine covers he has starred in, Helmut Newton’s work has been exhibited in the best museums and galleries in the world, among others:
- Museum of Photography / Helmut Newton Foundation in Berlin (Germany)
- New York Design Center in New York (United States)
- MoMA in New York (United States)
- Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (United States)
- Victoria & Albert Museum in London (UK)
- La Fábrica Gallery in Madrid (Spain)
- Palazzo Reale in Milan (Italy)
- Palazzo Arti Napoli in Naples (Italy)
- Grimaldi Forum in Monaco (Italy)
- Carla Sozzani Gallery in Milan (Italy)
- Grand Palais de Paris (France)
- Museum of Latin American Art of Buenos Aires (Argentina)
Below I compile a summary of his work with some of his most iconic photos.
Helmut Newton Awards & Accolades
- 1989. Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters.
- 1990. National Grand Prix of Photography.
- 1992. Commander’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.
- 1994. Berlin bear.
- nineteen ninety six. Commander of Arts and Letters.
- 2004. Lucy Award.
Helmut Newton Sumo
Although I will soon show you the different books published on the life and work of Helmut Newton, this publication deserves a separate section for being the largest and most expensive book of the s. XX. Edited by his wife June Newton (Alice Springs) and published by Taschen Publishing, it is as revolutionary as his own work.
What makes Sumo so special is its weight and size. The original edition, with 464 pages, measures 50 x 70 cm and weighs 34.80 kg. To complete it, it is sold with a lectern where it can be displayed. Although there is something else. The Limited Collector’s Edition of 10,000 copies was signed and numbered by Helmut Newton. And copy number one was signed by more than 100 of the personalities that appear portrayed, which earned it the title of the most expensive book of the century when it was auctioned on April 6, 2000 in Berlin for 620,000 German marks, around €317,000.
It costs 20,000 euros and, although it is sold out, there is a waiting list that you can join because, occasionally, some copies become available again.
If the content makes you tick, don’t be scared, because to celebrate 20 years of its publication, they created a much more affordable edition for mortals. Below I present it to you.
Helmut Newton Books
In addition to this exorbitant publication that I just told you about, there is a great diversity of publications that allow us to know and enjoy his work on paper. Helmut Newton was a very prolific author, he will leave you with the most recent details:
Legacy of Helmut Newton (2021). Legacy showcases featured and rediscovered images from one of the most published works of photography. You can get this multilingual edition (German, French, English) for €76.00
Helmut Newton: Sumo (2021). Edition of the legendary SUMO to celebrate its 20th anniversary. A more affordable edition of price and size, although it weighs more than 6kg. You can get it on Amazon for €95.00 (Unavailable product)
Helmut Newton Polaroid (2020). Proof Polaroids, assembled by his widow, of preliminary shots from a selection of the most important images made over several decades (including many featured in TASCHEN SUMO titles A Gun for Hire and Work). This collection of snapshots captures the magic of Newton’s works. 224 pages in French, English and German. Available by N/A
Pola Woman Helmut Newton (2020). Pola Woman which was first published in 1992. Also made up of Polaroid snapshots, it was widely criticized in its day for its lack of technical “perfection”. 160 pages in English. Available for €36.00
work of Helmut Newton (2018). Fashion, editorial, and personal photography come together in this magnificent Helmut Newton portfolio that covers the 1960s through to its golden age. 280 pages in Spanish. You can get it for N/A
Monte Carlo: Helmut Newton (2017). Montecarlo through the eyes of Newton within the Fashion Eye collection edited by Louis Vuitton. French edition of 96 pages. Available for €50.00
Us and Them: Helmut Newton and Alice Springs (2016). Us and Them is an ode to relationships and art. First published in 1999, it includes photographs of Helmut Newton and his wife, actress and photographer June Newton, who worked under the pseudonym Alice Springs. This compilation is organized into five chapters, which alternate the vision of the tender and intimate world of Newton and Springs in Us with the glamor of their social and professional environment in Them. Multilingual edition of 200 pages. Available by N/A
portraits of Helmut Newton (2017). First published in 1985, Helmut Newton’s collection of portraits of figures from the worlds of film, fashion, politics and culture constitutes a pantheon of VIPs. 136 pages in Spanish. Get it for €18.90
Sex & Landscapes of Helmut Newton (2015). It brings together in 121 pages a magnificent selection of Helmut Newton’s little-known landscape and travel photographs, as well as unpublished snapshots of “harder” sex. Available (in English) by N/A
world without men of Helmut Newton (2013). He collects his work from his apprenticeship years to his rise to fame. Italian edition, 188 pages. Get it for N/A
Helmut Newton: Autobiography (2004). Memoirs of the author in which he presents a candid image of himself, revealing a lifetime of adventure and insight that provides the link between his life and his work. A must for his fans. You can get it in Spanish for €24.60
In addition to these titles, these other books by the author were also published:
- Helmut Newton 1920-2004: Paris, Grand Palais. June Newton & Jerome Neutres. NMR, 2012.
- Helmut Newton. Ed. Photo Pocket, 2004
- Autobiography. Newton, H. Nan A. Talese, 2003.
- Helmut Newton Work. Helmut & June Newton. Taschen, 2000.
- private-property. Marshall Blonsky & Helmut Newton. Schirmer Art Books, 1989.
Helmut Newton movies
Exist…