HELMUT NEWTON

helmut newton

Born October 31, 1920 in Berlin, Germany. The son of a wealthy Jewish factory manager, he attended an American school in Berlin. Newton, who had a ferocious obsession with photography from an early age, bought his first camera when he was 12 years old. Four years later, Newton turned his back on compulsory schooling and apprenticed himself to renowned German photographer Else Simon, better known as Yva. Her style featured fashion, nudity and portraiture in a unique way. It also attracted attention for its novel attempt to create a dream-like surreal world view using multiple exposures like in a movie. He was a major influence on Newton's career.

With the passage of the anti-Semitic Nuremberg Laws of 1935, his father lost his managerial position at the factory and was temporarily imprisoned in a concentration camp. rice field. Eighteen-year-old Newton is routed through China and is briefly detained by British authorities as an enemy alien, before working briefly as a photographer for The Straits Times in Singapore. He then served in the Australian Army from 1940 to 1945 , serving in a convoy.

In 1948, he married actress Jane Brown. Jane was also active as a photographer under the name of Alice Springs, which was named after a place in Australia. Jane has art directed many of Newton's works. The two will be active for many years as an artistic couple.

In 1950, Newton signed contracts with numerous fashion magazines and expanded his field of activity. Following VOGUE Australia and VOGUE UK in 1957-1958 , the contract with VOGUE PARIS in 1961 was a turning point for Newton, and Newton's fashion photography style spread all over the world. became. VOGUE American Editor Anna Wintour Says Newton's Works Are "Synonymous with Vogue's Most Intriguing and Mythical"

Newton's works have an erotic style with sadism , masochism , and fetishism, which gives a sense of stylishness. The story composition and direction were just genius, just like watching a scene from a movie.

In the 1960s and 1970s, Newton was immersed in creating intense sexual images of strong women. His works from this period are voyeuristic and have a sadistic feel to them.

Newton disliked studio photography, shooting mostly at night, citing new wave cinema and unrealistic images of Man Ray and Eugene Atget in favor of Barassai's street photography. Newton's influence on later photographers Richard Avedon, Irving Penn, Terry Richardson, and Juergen Teller was enormous.

After his first photo exhibition in Paris in 1975, he published "White Woman" immediately, and continued to hold exhibitions in New York, Paris, London, Geneva, Los Angeles, and Tokyo until the end of the 70's, and his reputation continued to grow. It continued to attract more attention from the world's fashion world. In 1980, they released the “ Big Nude” series. This is the peak of Helmut Newton's photographic life.

In 1984, Newton met Norman Solomon through the introduction of his then-manager, the Englishman John Danicliffe, and welcomed him as a producer for the portfolio collection " Private Property," a collection of Newton's best works to date . After that, Neue Galerie in Berlin, Germany (2000), Barbican (2001), International Center of Photography, New York (2001) and continued “ Private Property” photo exhibition . But.....

In 2004, Helmut Newton died in a car accident at Chateau Marmont, Hollywood. At the age of 83, his ashes were buried in Berlin, Germany.

In 2011, the ``Museum of Fine Arts, Houston'' in Texas, USA named Newton as an authoritative photographer of the 20th century. The value of his work continues to rise over the centuries.

April 2019 Phillips New York, Photography Auction. "Sie Kommen, Dressed and Naked," shot in 1981, sold for $1.8 million.