La Fundación Telefónica and PhotoEspaña 2002 host the exhibit entitled Work, the first exhibit in Spain on Helmut Newton, one of the most influential photographers of the twentieth century, and one of the artistic precursors who best defined contemporary femininity.

In honor of Newton’s eightieth birthday, this retrospective of fashion, nudes and women’s portraits – one in which fantasy and sensuality are intertwined- contains many pieces by the artist which have never been viewed publicly; In addition, it retrieves the original series from his first color exhibit in 1972.

Work presents 350 images (separated into eight sections) from the period of 1960 through the year 2000. These include projects for Vogue, Oui Magazine and Vanity Fair, portraits of personalities from the film industry, fashion, politics and art, as well as female nudes and these nudes interacting with objects.

The social review that Newton offers is based on a refined eroticism of contrast. He uses this contrast to depict a varied tapestry of light and shadows in which the artist’s lens reflects once again his typical provocative attitude.

EIGHT LARGE SERIES

Work is divided into eight large sections which represent the first systematic approach to Newton’s larger aesthetic lines and themes: Fashion photography, X-Rays, Locations, Portraits, Kodak Machine Prints, Big Nudes, Dummies and Girls of Berlin.

Through these sections the visitor can see the evolution of the Berlin photographer and his original combination of public and private, and his own creative universe of sensuality and femininity, these things which have marked the aesthetic standards of today’s concept of the modern woman.

Fashion Photography

In this first section, the artist avoids the more traditional studio photography, instead, he positions the women subjects normally standing or in very sensual poses. According to Newton himself, he prefers public places and places with restricted access, such as the private spheres associated with the wealthy, where luxury and ostentation make it easier for him to play with the bodies. On display are photos taken in Monaco, Monte Carlo, Milan, Rome, Bordighera, Venice, New York, Miami and Paris.

X-Rays

The series of X-ray photographs originated from the photographer’s curiosity about seeing how through the rays the diamonds of the jewelry might disappear, with only the metallic setting being visible. The parallel that he is establishing with the female body is obvious: only the skeleton remained. Beauty expires and disappears behind the screen. In fact, for Newton it was a fortunate type of therapy, which, as the artist himself explains, "calmed my passion for women in high heels."

Locations

The locations that Newton photographed and which appear as background for the models are not exotic places, rather, familiar ones. "When I work outside I don’t go any farther than 3 kilometers from my hotel." Thus, for the visitor at the exhibit, these locations always recall memories of other similar places: gardens, beaches packed with tourists, the insides of cars, streets, bathrooms, pools, etc.

Portraits

The series of portraits consists of snapshots taken of famous people from public life, (politics, the film industry, fashion and photography), people who, for one reason or another, fascinate Newton. "I photograph those human beings whom I love and venerate, especially the infamous ones." Found among this series are portraits of the following individuals: June Newton, Gerhard Schröder, Anita Ekberg, Pierre Cardin, Gianfranco Ferré, Elisabeth Sue, Leni Riefenstahl, Jean-Maris Le Pen, Faye Dunaway, the prince and princess of Monaco, Albert and Carolina, Anthony Hopkins, Ralph Fiennes, Sigourney Weaver, Aga Khan, Pavarotti, Versace, Catherine Deneuve, Marlene Dietrich, etc.

Kodak Machine Prints

This is a series of original copies from the 1960’s and early 70’s. They have a timeless quality, since they have hardly aged nor lost their artistic validity. They were made by Kodak for fifteen francs per copy. To achieve maximum contrast, Newton asked Kodak to eliminate the fog layer that is usually used with amateur copies. The color clarity of the photos proves that we are dealing with one of the true maestros of color. What one can appreciate is an intense clarity of the summertime aquatic atmospheres in Las Vegas, Paris, St. Tropez, Dakr, Eastern Italy, Cannes, Acapulco and Senegal.

Big Nudes

These large nudes are responsible for establishing Newton even more as a controversial artist. They originated from posters of the Baader-Meinhof gang (terrorist suspects), which were published full-sized in a German magazine. The series was originally entitled "The Terrorists". Newton photographed women strolling, both clothed and nude, women with various nationalities (Dutch, French, and German), all of it done with the realism of a police line-up. In Beverly Hills he even dressed the model, Evi, in a police uniform, to then later photograph her in the same pose, nude from the waist down. Actresses such as Fiona Lewis and Cathy Smith posed for him in Los Angeles.

Dummies

Having established a parallelism between the mannequins and the models who pose next to them, Newton’s dummies seem to be humans in highly erotic, provocative poses. In fact, at a first glance, one can hardly distinguish the model from the doll. For Newton, simply placing the mannequins in one atmosphere or another resulted in their developing personal traits and qualities. He baptized one very attractive mannequin as "Georgette", while another he nicknamed "the idiot". In other instances it is the real models who adopt the hieratic poses and the blank expressions typical of mannequins.

Girls of Berlin

This series was done at the Berlin Wall. Surrounded by the teutonic beauty of the young women, Newton’s lens captured the cold atmosphere of hiding that was still prevalent. The result is an ingenious combination of refined eroticism and the Cold War.

HELMUT NEWTON: BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES

Helmut Newton was born in Berlin in 1920 under the sign of Scorpio. His father was a well-off button manufacturer. Helmut studied through elementary school until the so-called "Nuremberg Laws" came into effect and forced the separation of Jewish children from "Aryan" children. His father, who was not pleased with the idea of having a photographer for a son, sent him to the American School of Berlin. But Helmut was a lazy and incorrigible student, only interested in swimming, girls and photography. As a result, he quickly dropped out of school.

In 1936 he was a student of the photographer Yva (Else Simon), who would later perish at Auschwitz. After two years as an apprentice with Yva, Helmut Newton left Berlin on December 5, 1938 and went to Singapore, where he found work as a graphic reporter at the Singapore Straits Times. Two months later he was fired by the director of the newspaper, accused of being useless. In 1940, Newton arrived in Australia and served five years in the Australian army as a private, always driving a truck or as a peon for the railways.

After his military service, he opened a small photographic studio in Melbourne. In 1948 he wed the actress June Brunell (Browne), who, after 1970 would become known as a photographer under the pseudonym of Alice Springs. She had a considerable influence upon his work.

After May of 1961 Newton worked intensely and regularly for the French edition of Vogue, the fashion magazine that published his best photos over twenty-five years. During this period he also worked for American, Italian and German magazines such as Vogue, Linea Italiana, Queen, Nova, Jardin des Modes, Marie Claire and Elle. In his free time he would enjoy luxury cars that were beyond his possibilities.

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