Helmut Newton

From ArticleWorld


Helmut Newton was one of the most famous fashion photographers in the world, renowned for his nude photographs of women, often in sado-masochistic positions.

History

Born in Berlin, Germany on October 31, 1920, Helmut Neustädter who later came to be known as Helmut Newton, was the son of an American lady and a Jewish garment factory owner. At a young age, he worked as a photographer for the German photographer Else Simon, popularly called ‘Yva.’ In 1938, Helmut left Germany and worked in Singapore for the Straight Times, followed by a stint in the army, working in logistics for the Australian army during World War II from 1940 to 1945. Three years later, he married June Browne, an Australian actress. As the war ended, he started the work that would make him famous all over the world – his work as a fashion photographer, working for Playboy magazine in the 1950s.

Moving to Paris in 1961, Helmut began working extensively and exclusively as a fashion photographer, transforming the idea of nude and the erotic, published most frequently in the French Vogue. With a unique style known for its eroticism with sado-masochistic and fetish themes, Helmut reached the pinnacle of his own particular style with the “Big Nude” series of the 1980s, famous for his portraits, contrasts in lighting and technical skills.

The Foundation of Prussian Cultural Heritage or the Preußischer Kulturbesitz was the recipient of a generous donation by Helmut in October 2003, which is now in display at the Museum of Photography near the Berlin-Zoo railway station. Helmut always had a deep love for his home town of Berlin and despite keeping large residences in Monte Carlo and Los Angeles, Helmut was buried in the Städtischen Friedhof III, Berlin-Schöneberg, Stubenrauchstraße 43-45. Schöneberg in Berlin, Germany after a fatal car crash in West Hollywood, as he would have wished.