Helmut Newton (né Neustädter; 31 October 192023 January 2004) was a German-Australian photographer. The ''
New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' described him as a "prolific, widely imitated fashion photographer whose provocative, erotically charged black-and-white photos were a mainstay of ''
Vogue'' and other publications."
Early life

Newton was born in Berlin, the son of Klara "Claire" (née Marquis) and Max Neustädter, a button factory owner.
His family was
Jewish
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
.
Newton attended the
Heinrich-von-Treitschke-
Realgymnasium and the American School in Berlin. Interested in photography from the age of 12, when he purchased his first camera, he worked for the German photographer
Yva (Elsie Neuländer Simon) from 1936.
The increasingly oppressive restrictions placed on Jews under the
Nuremberg laws
The Nuremberg Laws (, ) were antisemitic and racist laws that were enacted in Nazi Germany on 15 September 1935, at a special meeting of the Reichstag convened during the annual Nuremberg Rally of the Nazi Party. The two laws were the Law ...
, meant that his father lost control of the factory in which he manufactured buttons and buckles. He was briefly interned in a
concentration camp
A concentration camp is a prison or other facility used for the internment of political prisoners or politically targeted demographics, such as members of national or ethnic minority groups, on the grounds of national security, or for exploitati ...
on
Kristallnacht
( ) or the Night of Broken Glass, also called the November pogrom(s) (, ), was a pogrom against Jews carried out by the Nazi Party's (SA) and (SS) paramilitary forces along with some participation from the Hitler Youth and German civilia ...
, 9 November 1938, which finally compelled the family to leave Germany. Newton's parents fled to Argentina.
Newton was issued a passport just after turning 18 and left Germany on 5 December 1938. At
Trieste
Trieste ( , ; ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital and largest city of the Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with special statute, autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, as well as of the Province of Trieste, ...
, he boarded the ''
Conte Rosso'', along with about 200 others escaping the
Nazi
Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...
s, intending to journey to
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
. After arriving in
Singapore
Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
, Newton found he was able to remain there, first briefly as a photographer for the ''
Straits Times
''The Straits Times'' (also known informally by its abbreviation ''ST'') is a Singaporean daily English-language newspaper owned by the SPH Media Trust. Established on 15 July 1845, it is the most-widely circulated newspaper in the country and ...
'' and then as a portrait photographer.
From 1940: Life in Australia
Newton was interned by British authorities while in Singapore and was sent to Australia on board the ''
Queen Mary'', arriving in Sydney on 27 September 1940.
Internees were taken to a camp at
Tatura
Tatura is a town in the Goulburn Valley region of Victoria, Australia, and is situated within the City of Greater Shepparton local government area, north of the state capital (Melbourne) and west of the regional centre of Shepparton, Victoria ...
by train under armed guard. Newton was released from internment in 1942 and briefly worked as a fruit picker in Northern Victoria. In August 1942, he enlisted with the Australian Army and worked as a truck driver. After the war in 1945, he became a British subject, and changed his name to Newton in 1946.
In 1948, he married actress
June Browne, who performed under the stage name June Brunell. Later, she became a successful photographer, under the ironic pseudonym Alice Springs, after
Alice Springs
Alice Springs () is a town in the Northern Territory, Australia; it is the third-largest settlement after Darwin, Northern Territory, Darwin and Palmerston, Northern Territory, Palmerston. The name Alice Springs was given by surveyor William ...
, the town in
Central Australia
Central Australia, also sometimes referred to as the Red Centre, is an inexactly defined region associated with the geographic centre of Australia. In its narrowest sense it describes a region that is limited to the town of Alice Springs and ...
.
In 1946, Newton set up a studio in fashionable
Flinders Lane in
Melbourne
Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
and worked on fashion, theatre and industrial photography in the affluent post-war years.
In May 1953, he shared his first exhibition with
Wolfgang Sievers, a German refugee like himself, who had also served in the same company. The exhibition, "New Visions in Photography", was displayed at the Federal Hotel in
Collins Street and was probably the first presentation of
New Objectivity
The New Objectivity (in ) was a movement in German art that arose during the 1920s as a reaction against German Expressionism, expressionism. The term was coined by Gustav Friedrich Hartlaub, the director of the ''Kunsthalle Mannheim, Kunsthalle' ...
photography in Australia. Newton went into partnership with
Henry Talbot, a fellow German Jew, who had also been interned at Tatura, and his association with the studio continued even after 1957, when Newton left Australia for
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
. The studio was renamed Helmut Newton and Henry Talbot.
Late 1950s: to London, Europe, a return to Australia
Newton's growing reputation as a fashion photographer was rewarded when he secured a commission to illustrate fashions in a special Australian supplement for ''Vogue'' magazine, published in January 1956. He won a 12-month contract with ''
British Vogue
''British Vogue'' (stylised in all caps) is the British edition of the American Fashion journalism, fashion magazine Vogue (magazine), Vogue. The magazine was launched in 1916 by Condé Nast, linking together fashion and high society.König A ...
'' and left for London in February 1957, leaving Talbot to manage the business. Newton left the magazine before the end of his contract and went to Paris, where he worked for French and German magazines. He returned to Melbourne in March 1959 to a contract for
Australian ''Vogue''.
1961: to Paris
Newton and his wife finally settled in Paris in 1961 and his work as a fashion photographer continued. His images appeared in magazines including the
French edition of ''Vogue'' and ''
Harper's Bazaar
''Harper's Bazaar'' (stylized as ''Harper's BAZAAR'') is an American monthly women's fashion magazine. Bazaar has been published in New York City since November 2, 1867, originally as a weekly publication entitled ''Harper's Bazar''."Corporat ...
''.
Newton established a particular style, marked by erotic, stylised images, often with
sado-masochistic
Sadism () and masochism (), known collectively as sadomasochism ( ) or S&M, is the derivation of pleasure from acts of respectively inflicting or receiving pain or humiliation. The term is named after the Marquis de Sade, a French author known ...
and
fetishistic subtexts. A heart attack in 1970 reduced his output, but his wife's encouragement led to his profile continuing to expand, especially with the 1980 studio-bound stark
infinity
Infinity is something which is boundless, endless, or larger than any natural number. It is denoted by \infty, called the infinity symbol.
From the time of the Ancient Greek mathematics, ancient Greeks, the Infinity (philosophy), philosophic ...
of the "Big Nudes" series. His "Naked and Dressed" portfolio followed and, in 1992, "Domestic Nudes", which marked the pinnacle of his erotic-urban style. The series were underpinned with the prowess of his technical skills.
Newton also worked in portraiture and more fantastical studies.
Newton shot a number of pictorials for ''
Playboy
''Playboy'' (stylized in all caps) is an American men's Lifestyle journalism, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, available both online and in print. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, funded in part by a $ ...
'', including
Nastassja Kinski
Nastassja Aglaia Kinski (; née Nakszynski, ; born 24 January 1961) is a German actress and former model who has appeared in more than 60 films in Europe and the United States. Her worldwide breakthrough was with '' Stay as You Are'' (1978). Sh ...
and
Kristine DeBell.
Original prints of the photographs from his August 1976 pictorial of DeBell, "200 Motels, or How I Spent My Summer Vacation", were sold at auctions of ''Playboy'' archives by
Bonhams
Bonhams is a privately owned international auction house and one of the world's oldest and largest auctioneers of fine art and antiques. It was formed by the merger in November 2001 of Bonhams & Brooks and Phillips Son & Neale. This brought t ...
in 2002 for $21,075,
and by
Christie's
Christie's is a British auction house founded in 1766 by James Christie (auctioneer), James Christie. Its main premises are on King Street, St James's in London, and it has additional salerooms in New York, Paris, Hong Kong, Milan, Geneva, Shan ...
in December 2003 for $26,290.
"Three Boys from Pasadena"
In 2009,
June Browne conceptualised a tribute exhibition to Newton, featuring three photographers who had befriended Newton in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
in 1980:
Mark Arbeit,
Just Loomis, and
George Holz. All three had been photography students at the
Art Center College of Design
The ArtCenter College of Design is a private art college in Pasadena, California.
It was incorporated in 1930 as a degree-granting institution of higher learning in the US created specifically for students of both the visual arts and design. ...
in Pasadena, California. All three became friends with Helmut and June Newton and, to varying degrees, assisted Helmut Newton. Each went on to independent careers. The exhibition premiered at the Helmut Newton Foundation in Berlin and combined the work of all three with personal snapshots, contact sheets, and letters from their time with Newton.
Polaroids
From the 1970s, Newton regularly used
Polaroid instant camera
An instant camera is a camera which uses instant film, self-developing film to create a chemically Photographic processing, developed print shortly after taking the picture. Polaroid Corporation pioneered (and Patent, patented) consumer-friend ...
s and film to get an immediate visualisation of composition and lighting, especially for his fashion photography. By his own admission, for the shoot of the "Naked and Dressed" series that started in 1981 for the Italian and French Vogue, he used Polaroid film “by the crate”. The Polaroids also served as a sketchbook, in which he scribbled notes with regard to the model, client, location and date. In 1992, Newton published Pola Woman, a book consisting only of his Polaroids. Over 300 works based on the original Polaroids were shown at 2011 exhibition, “Helmut Newton Polaroids”, at the Museum für Fotografie in Berlin.
Death
In later life, Newton lived in both
Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo ( ; ; or colloquially ; , ; ) is an official administrative area of Monaco, specifically the Ward (country subdivision), ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino is located. Informally, the name also refers to ...
and Los Angeles, California, where he spent winters at the
Chateau Marmont
The Chateau Marmont is a hotel located at 8221 Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, California. The hotel was designed by architects Arnold A. Weitzman and William Douglas Lee and completed in 1929. It was modeled loosely after the Château d'Ambois ...
, which he had done every year since 1957. On 23 January 2004, he suffered a serious heart attack
while driving down Marmont Lane from the Chateau Marmont to Sunset Boulevard. He was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center but doctors were unable to save him, and he was pronounced dead.
His ashes are buried at the
Städtischer Friedhof III in Berlin.
Published works, during his life
* Helmut Newton, ''White Women'', New York: Congreve, 1976.
* Helmut Newton, ''Sleepless Nights'', New York: Congreve, 1978.
* Helmut Newton, ''Big Nudes'', Paris: Editions du Regard, 1981.
* Helmut Newton, "''Sie kommen''" ("They're Coming"), Paris: ''French Vogue'', 1981.
* Helmut Newton, ''World Without Men'', New York: Xavier Moreau, 1984.
* Klaus Honnef and Helmut Newton, ''Helmut Newton: Portraits'', Schirmer Art Books, 1986.
* Marshall Blonsky & Helmut Newton, ''Private Property'', Schirmer Art Books, 1989.
* Helmut Newton, ''
Sumo book'',
Taschen
Taschen is a luxury art book publisher founded in 1980 by Benedikt Taschen in Cologne, Germany. As of January 2017, Taschen is co-managed by Benedikt Taschen and his eldest daughter, Marlene Taschen.
History
The company began as Tasch ...
, 1999.
* Helmut Newton and June Newton, ''Helmut Newton Work'', edited by Manfred Heiting, Taschen, 2000.
* Helmut Newton, ''Autobiography'', Nan A. Talese, 2003.
Published works, after his death
* Helmut Newton, ''A Gun for Hire'', edited by June Newton, Taschen, 2005.
* Helmut Newton, ''Playboy: Helmut Newton'', Chronicle Books, 2005.
* Guy Featherstone, "Helmut Newton's Australian Years", in ''The La Trobe Journal'', The State Library of Victoria Foundation, No 76, Spring, 2005.
* Klaus Neumann, ''In the Interest of National Security: Civilian Internment in Australia during World War II'', Canberra: National Archives of Australia, 2006.
See also
*
Andrew Blake
*
Michael Ninn
*
Philip Mond
*
Radley Metzger
Radley Metzger (January 21, 1929 – March 31, 2017) was an American filmmaker and film distributor, most noted for popular artistic pornographic films, including '' Thérèse and Isabelle'' (1968), '' Camille 2000'' (1969), '' The Lickerish ...
*
Tinto Brass
Giovanni "Tinto" Brass (born 26 March 1933) is an Italian film director and screenwriter. In the 1960s and 1970s, he directed many critically acclaimed avant-garde films of various genres. Today, he is mainly known for his later work in the Erot ...
References
External links
Helmut Newton Foundation in BerlinHelmut Newton at Photogpedia*
Photo of the memorial plate at the birthplace of Newton in Berlin-Schöneberg, Innsbrucker Straße 24
Melbourne post-war photography State Library of Victoria, Australia
Helmut Newton 100 Years
{{DEFAULTSORT:Newton, Helmut
1920 births
2004 deaths
20th-century Australian photographers
Australian erotic photographers
Australian people of German-Jewish descent
BDSM photographers
Fashion photographers
Fetish photographers
Australian portrait photographers
Grand Crosses 1st class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
Commandeurs of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
German erotic photographers
Jewish emigrants from Nazi Germany to Australia
German expatriates in Malaysia
Australian expatriates in the United Kingdom
Australian expatriates in France
Australian expatriates in the United States
Photographers from Berlin
Nude photographers
Photographers from Melbourne
Road incident deaths in California