Helmut Newton, 1920-2004

Afterimage, March-April, 2004 by Suzanne Bestler

Acclaimed photographer Helmut Newton died on January 23, 2004, in a Los Angeles car accident. Newton, best known for his stark, black-and-white fashion photographs and nudes of women, was described by the German Minister of Culture as "the most important protagonist of modern photography." Along with Guy Bourdin, his French counterpart and colleague of the 1970s, his chic and intelligent takes on fashion and the world at large helped to create a bold new genre of art photography.

Newton was born on October 31, 1920 and raised in Berlin, Germany. His father, a wealthy button manufacturer, tried to enroll him in the American School of Berlin but young Helmut was quickly expelled for constant daydreaming about photography, swimming, and girls. His first photographic apprenticeship came in 1936, when he became an assistant for the Berlin photographer, Elsie Simon. Also known as Yva, Simon was famous for her fashion portraiture and nude photography. She, along with Lotte Jacobi, numerous other Jewish photographers, and Newton himself, had to flee Germany in the early 1930s. Newton moved to Singapore to accept a photojournalist position at the Singapore Straits Times. Two weeks later he was fired, due to "incompetence." He then moved to Australia and acquired Australian nationality in 1938. After serving five years in the Australian army, he married and opened a small studio in Melbourne. In 1957 he moved to Paris, and his first solo exhibition was in 1975 at the Nikon gallery.

As a premier fashion photographer his images were seen regularly throughout the 1960s, 70s and 80s in leading publications including Vogue, Elle, Playboy, Paris Match and Jardin des Modes, as well as in photography magazines such as French Zoom and Photo, always with the same erotic and sado-masochistic sensibilities. "Women assume marvelous expressions when they look at themselves," Newton describes [see www.salon.com]. "They lose themselves in their own image. It's fascinating to observe and shoot. It really inspires me physically and mentally." His work earned him many honors and awards, including the Grand Prix National de la Ville de Paris, which was presented to him by French Prime Minister Jacques Chirac in 1989. In 1991 he was chosen as the recipient of the World Image Award for best portrait photograph.

In his later years his photographic considerations began to change. In an interview with Salon Magazine, Newton explains: "I just had a bellyful and realized I had shot enough nudes to last a lifetime. I now have a very strong reaction against the exposed female body ... I have a strong desire to photograph women clothed from head-to-foot with hardly an inch of flesh. It will be a challenge to work under such restraints."

Last October Newton returned to Berlin from his home base in Monte Carlo to offer more than 1,000 of his photographs to a new gallery, claiming that he was "proud" to have his work displayed in his hometown. A few months before his death, Newton gave the rights of sixty of his images to the French non-profit organization Reporters Sans Frontieres (Reporters Without Borders) in an effort to financially support freedom of the press around the world. Although many of the photographs are fashionable portraits, several of the photographs are pure street photography--interesting samples that stand at odds with Newton's reputation. This diversity stands as a testament to a truly creative and inventive photographer.

Newton is survived by his Australian wife, June Newton, who works as a photographer under the nom de plume of Alice Springs.