Helmut Newton: Private Property

Through their inimitable mixture of eroticism, subdued elegance and decadent luxury, Newton’s pictures reflect in the highest aesthetic quality an obsession with human vanity – from female exhibitionism to male voyeurism. With technical perfection, an extremely detailed style and a relentless directness, Newton staged the neverending psychodrama that contrasts glamour with the need for admiration, self-confidence with the desire for self-presentation, and Eros with Thanatos. Private Property was originally a three-part portfolio containing 45 b&w photographs. It includes Newton’s best work from the period 1972-1983 – an exquisite assortment of fashion shots, portraits and erotic motifs which are all based on real location and luxurious lifestyles. The entire sequence of pictures from the Private Property portfolio is included in our book which first appeared in 1989.

About the photographer:

Helmut Newton (1920-2004) was one of the most influential fashion photographers of all time. Born in Berlin, he arrived in Australia in 1940 and married June Brunell (a.k.a. Alice Springs) eight years later. He achieved international fame in the 1970`s while working principally for French Vogue, and over the next three decades, his celebrity and influence continued to grow. Eschewing studios, for the most part, Newton preferred to shoot in the streets or in interiors. His mixture of controversial scenarios, bold lighting, and striking compositions came to form his signature look. In 1990 he was awarded the "Grand Prix National" for photography; in 1992 was awarded by the German government "Das Grosse Verdienstkreuz" for his services to German culture and was appointed "Officer des Arts, Lettres et Sciences" by S.A.S. Princess Caroline of Monaco. In 1996, he was appointed "Commandeur de l`Ordre des Arts et des Lettres" by Philippe Douste-Blazy, the French Minister of Culture. Working and living in close companionship with his wife until his death at 83, through his last click of the shutter he continued to be as distinctive and influential as ever.