227
Helmut Newton
Henrietta in my backyard, Ramatuelle
- Estimate
- $25,000 - 35,000
Overall 64 1/8 x 44 1/2 in. (162.9 x 113 cm)
Further Details
“Whilst both his fashion photographs and his large-format nudes are staged with meticulous attention to the story and to the physical transformation of the model, Newton’s portraits are more often than not taken against simple backgrounds, without the use of any special tricks or devices. From 1975 onwards, portraits became a constant feature of his work, especially after 1980. Taken in extreme close-up, Newton’s portraits show the features and gaze of his subjects in a light which reveals every flaw and blemish. It is harsh, blunt, and direct ... Behind their apparent simplicity, however, Newton’s portraits fascinate because they bring out the subject’s inner being in all its complexity, while always preserving an element of mystery no matter how generic the subject may seem.”
—Francoise Marquet,Introduction to Helmut Newton: Work
Full-Cataloguing
Helmut Newton
German | B. 1920 D. 2004Helmut Newton's distinct style of eroticism and highly produced images was deemed rebellious and revolutionary in its time, as he turned the expected notion of beauty, depicted by passive and submissive women, on its head. Depicting his models as strong and powerful women, Newton reversed gender stereotypes and examined society's understanding of female desire.
Newton created a working space for his models that was part decadent and part unorthodox — a safe microcosm in which fantasies became reality. And perhaps most famously of all, Newton engendered an environment in which his female models claimed the space around them with unapologetic poise and commanding sensuality. His almost cinematic compositions provided a hyper-real backdrop for the provocative images of sculptural, larger-than-life women, and enhanced the themes of voyeurism and fetishism that run throughout his work.