The Legacy of Helmut Newton in Spotlight

Erotic, beautiful, scandalous, often sadomasochistic but always feminine - this is the signature style of Helmut Newton. Throughout his career, he brazenly flirted with the viewers by playing on the edge of grotesque, managing to create photographs that have forever changed how a female body is seen. Gone was the fragile, hourglass figure, and in its place stood a statuesque powerful woman that vibrated with sexuality and danger. 

This October, in honor of Newton's 100 birthday, the Helmut Newton Foundation will showcase the retrospective of the artist's body of work. The exhibition titled Helmut Newton. Legacy will include over 300 works, among them photographs, archive materials, polaroids, and special publications, half of which will be shown for the first time. Legacy will be accompanied by an extensive catalogue published by TASCHEN. This exhibition is a unique opportunity to get a deeper sense of Newton's creative process as well as the evolution of his style and technique through the decades. 

The Fashion Photographer 

Born in Germany in 1920, Helmut Newton fell in love with the female nude subject as a teenager while working as an apprentice for a theater photographer. But soon after, the Nazi oppression in 1938 became too strong, and he fled to Australia. He did not remain there long because, in 1960, he moved to Paris and got a job with French Vogue. It was the beginning of his rise to stardom.

Newton rejected the constricting space of the studio in favor of the raw quality of the outside location. His photos ooze with luxury and extravagance, whether they have been shot in a desert, street, hotel room or garage. Through clever staging and composition, he had a unique talent for turning the ordinary, boring, and uninviting spaces into theater stages. A major influence of film noir, S & M, and surrealism can be seen throughout his body of work, but he managed to develop a unique style that was seen by many as punk due to its edginess and voyeuristic nature. 

The Provocative Lens  

The majority of Newton's photos are black and white, which allowed him to continuously play with hard contrasts between light and shadow. This interplay, balanced to perfection, never works against the subjects. Instead, it enhances their beauty and helps bring out the muscle lines. 

Helmut refused to stage the models in conventional poses, instead choosing to depict interactions that showed an erotic power structure. The shots are often taken from a low angle, showing the strength of the bodies. At the same time, this type of framing creates an illusion that models dominate even over the viewers themselves. 

Helmut Newton at Helmut Newton Foundation

When looking at Helmut's amazing artistic oeuvre, it is hard to imagine that he is foremost known as a fashion photographer. A remarkable eye for the female body won him world recognition and numerous rewards, like Das Grosse Verdienstkreuz for services to German culture. He was a visionary that pushed social and moral boundaries and elevated fashion photography into an art form. 

The exhibition Helmut Newton. Legacy will be on view at Helmut Newton Foundation in Berlin from October 31st until May 22nd, 2022.

Featured image: Alice Springs - Helmut Newton, 1994. Hollywood © Helmut Newton Estate, Courtesy Helmut Newton Foundation