Editing Helmut Newton

{{short description|German-Australian photographer (1920–2004)}}
{{Use Australian English|date=March 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}}
{{Infobox person
| name         = Helmut Newton
| image        = Helmut Newton Grave headshot crop.jpg
| caption      = Portrait by his wife June
| birth_name   = Helmut Neustädter
| birth_date   = {{Birth date|df=yes|1920|10|31}}
| birth_place  = [[Berlin]], [[Weimar Republic|Germany]]
| death_date   = {{Death date and age|df=yes|2004|1|23|1920|10|31}}
| death_place  = [[Los Angeles]], [[California]], US
| nationality  = Australian
| occupation   = Photographer
| years active = 1936−2003
| spouse       = {{marriage|[[June Newton|June Browne]]|1948}}
}}

'''Helmut Newton''' (born '''Helmut Neustädter'''; 31 October 1920{{spaced ndash}}23 January 2004) was a German-Australian photographer. The ''[[The New York Times|New York Times]]'' described him as a "prolific, widely imitated fashion photographer whose provocative, erotically charged black-and-white photos were a mainstay of ''[[Vogue (magazine)|Vogue]]'' and other publications."<ref name="obit"/>

==Early life==
[[File:Berlin gedenktafel helmut newton.jpg|thumb|Plaque at his birthhouse in [[Schöneberg]], [[Berlin]].<br />Translation: "At this spot used to stand the birthhouse of HELMUT NEUSTÄDTER (1920–2004), son of [[Jewish]] parents. After his emigration in 1938 he became known as HELMUT NEWTON, one of the most famous photographers worldwide."]]

Newton was born in Berlin, the son of Klara "Claire" (née Marquis) and Max Neustädter, a button factory owner.<ref name="R1"/> His family was [[Jewish]].<ref name="R2"/> Newton attended the [[Heinrich von Treitschke|Heinrich-von-Treitschke]]-[[Gymnasium (Germany)|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]], meant that his father lost control of the factory in which he manufactured buttons and buckles. He was briefly interned in a [[concentration camp]] on [[Kristallnacht]], 9 November 1938, which finally compelled the family to leave Germany. Newton's parents fled to Argentina.<ref name="R3"/> Newton was issued a passport just after turning 18 and left Germany on 5 December 1938. At [[Trieste]], he boarded the ''[[SS Conte Rosso|Conte Rosso]]'', along with about 200 others escaping the [[Nazi]]s, intending to journey to [[Republic of China (1912–1949)|China]]. After arriving in [[Singapore]], Newton found he was able to remain there, first briefly as a photographer for the ''[[Straits Times]]'' 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 ''[[RMS Queen Mary|Queen Mary]]'', arriving in Sydney on 27 September 1940.<ref name="R4"/> Internees were taken to a camp at [[Tatura]] 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.

[[File:Helmut Newton 1950. Model June Browne. Myer's Department store contract, Hat of the Week.png|thumb|left|Helmut Newton's 1950 portrait of his wife June, modelling a "hat of the week" for [[Myer|Myer's]] Department Store<ref name="R5"/>]]
 
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]], the town in [[Central Australia]].
 
In 1946, Newton set up a studio in fashionable [[Flinders Lane]] in [[Melbourne]] and worked on fashion, theatre and industrial photography in the affluent post-war years.<ref name="R6"/>  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, Melbourne|Collins Street]] and was probably the first presentation of [[New Objectivity]] photography in Australia. Newton went into partnership with [[Henry Talbot (photographer)|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]]. The studio was renamed Helmut Newton and Henry Talbot.

==Late 1950s: to London, Europe, a return to Australia==
[[File:Helmut Newton, Portrait of Laurel Martyn, 1952.jpg|thumb|Portrait of Laurel Martyn, 1952]]

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]]'' 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 [[Vogue Australia|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 [[Vogue France|French edition of ''Vogue'']] and ''[[Harper's Bazaar]]''.
 
Newton established a particular style, marked by erotic, stylised images, often with [[sadism and masochism|sado-masochistic]] and [[sexual fetishism|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 cove|infinity]] 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.<ref name="R7"/> Newton also worked in portraiture and more fantastical studies.
 
Newton shot a number of pictorials for ''[[Playboy]]'', including [[Nastassja Kinski]] and [[Kristine DeBell]].<ref name="R8"/> 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]] in 2002 for $21,075,<ref name="R9"/> and by [[Christie's]] in December 2003 for $26,290.<ref name="R10"/>
 
=="Three Boys from Pasadena"==
In 2009, [[June Browne]] conceptualised a tribute exhibition to Newton, featuring three photographers who had befriended Newton in [[Los Angeles]] in 1980: [[Mark Arbeit]], [[Just Loomis]], and [[George Holz]]. All three had been photography students at the [[Art Center College of 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.<ref name="R11"/>
 
==Polaroids==
From the 1970s, Newton regularly used [[Polaroid Corporation|Polaroid]] [[instant camera]]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.<ref name="R12"/>

==Death==

[[File:Grave of Helmut and June Newton, Berlin Friedenau.jpg|thumb|Grave of Helmut & June Newton in Berlin, Friedenau Cemetery ]]

In later life, Newton lived in both [[Monte Carlo]] and Los Angeles, California, where he spent winters at the [[Chateau Marmont]], which he had done every year since 1957. On 23 January 2004, he suffered a serious heart attack<ref name="R13"/> 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.<ref name="R14"/> His ashes are buried at the [[Städtischer Friedhof III]] in Berlin.

[[File:Hemut Newton Plaque - Chateau Marmont.jpg|thumb|Memorial plaque at site of Helmut Newton's accident at the Chateau Marmont hotel in Los Angeles, marking the spot where his car hit the wall]]
[[File:Helmut Newton Museum.jpg|thumb|Helmut Newton Museum at the [[Museum of Photography, Berlin|''Museum für Fotografie'', 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)|Sumo book]]'', [[Taschen]], 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 ==
{{div col |colwidth=30}}
* [[Andrew Blake (director)|Andrew Blake]]
* [[Michael Ninn]]
* [[Philip Mond]]
* [[Radley Metzger]]
* [[Tinto Brass]]
{{div col end}}

==References==
{{notelist}}{{reflist|refs=
<ref name="obit">{{cite news| first = Jesse | last = McKinley| title = Helmut Newton, Who Remade Fashion Photography, Dies at 83| url = https://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/24/nyregion/helmut-newton-fashion-photographer-83.html| newspaper = [[The New York Times]] | date = 24 January 2004 | access-date = 14 May 2011 }}
</ref>
 
<ref name="R1">{{cite magazine
| url = http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2003/09/22/030922crbo_books
| title = Exposures: Helmut Newton looks back. | first = Anthony | last = Lane
| date = 22 September 2003 | magazine = [[The New Yorker]] | access-date = 22 May 2013}}
</ref>
 
<ref name="R2">{{citation
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=a8hTAAAAMAAJ&q=jew | title = Autobiography: Helmut Newton
| last = Newton | first = Helmut | publisher = Nan A. Talese/Doubleday | year = 2003 | page = 65
| isbn = 9780385508070 | access-date = 22 May 2013}}
</ref>
 
<ref name="R3">{{cite news
| url = https://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/10/arts/photographer-and-his-art-are-home-at-last.html
| first = Alan | last = Riding | title = Photographer and His Art Are Home at Last
| date = 10 August 2004 | newspaper = New York Times | page = 1E | access-date = 13 Oct 2019 |url-access=subscription}}
</ref>
 
<ref name="R4">Neumann, Klaus. [http://www.naa.gov.au/Images/Internment-extract_tcm16-35764.pdf ''In the Interests of National Security''], National Archives of Australia
</ref>
 
<ref name="R5">[http://www3.slv.vic.gov.au/latrobejournal/issue/latrobe-76/t1-g-t8.html#n105 Helmut Newton's Australian years. Latrobe Journal, 2005]
</ref>
 
<ref name="R6">[http://www3.slv.vic.gov.au/latrobejournal/issue/latrobe-76/t1-g-t8.html#n105 Helmut Newton's Australian years - Guy Featherstone. The Latrobe Journal, No 76 Spring 2005]
</ref>
 
<ref name="R7">[http://peterkuzmin.blogspot.com.au/2010/07/helmut-newton-photography-icon-essay.html Helmut Newton: The Photography Icon . . essay by Peter Kuzmin, July 2017]
</ref>
 
<ref name="R8">Newton, Helmut. ''Playboy: Helmut Newton'', Chronicle Books (2005).
</ref>
 
<ref name="R9">{{cite news
| url = http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/2003/07/20/2003-07-20_for_playboy_lovers__cups_run.html
| last = Herman | first = Eric | title = For Playboy lovers, cup runneth over
| newspaper = [[Daily News (New York)|New York Daily News]] | date = 20 July 2003
| url-status = dead
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090412040539/http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/2003/07/20/2003-07-20_for_playboy_lovers__cups_run.html
| archive-date = 12 April 2009 }}
</ref>
 
<ref name="R10">{{cite web
| url = http://www.christies.com/LotFinder/lot_details.aspx?from=salesummary&intObjectID=4204899&sid=4a99703f-3b61-48c6-9022-fea3afd5ef0d
| title = Christie's Lot 257/Sale 1325 | publisher = Christies.com | date = 17 December 2003
| access-date = 13 June 2013}}
</ref>
 
<ref name="R11">{{Citation
| last = Newton | first = June | title = Three Boys From Pasadena | year = 2015
| url = http://www.threeboysfrompasadena.com/ | access-date = 25 May 2015 | url-status = dead
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150402134724/http://www.threeboysfrompasadena.com/
| archive-date = 2 April 2015 | df = dmy-all }}
</ref>
 
<ref name="R12">{{Cite web
| title = Helmut Newton: Polaroids
| url = https://helmut-newton-foundation.org/en/ausstellungen/helmut-newton-polaroids/
| access-date = 2022-07-21 | website = HELMUT NEWTON FOUNDATION | language = en-US}}
</ref>
 
<ref name="R13">{{Cite AV media
| people = June Newton (Writer) | date = 2007 | title = Helmut by June
| trans-title = Helmut by June | medium = television documentary }}
</ref>
 
<ref name="R14">{{Cite web
| url = http://www.gupmagazine.com/articles/man-in-the-high-castle | title = Man In the High Castle
| date = May 29, 2013 | website = GUP Magazine | last = Matthews | first = Katherine Oktober}}
</ref>
}}
 
==External links==
{{commons category}}
{{wikiquote}}
*[https://helmut-newton-foundation.org/en Helmut Newton Foundation in Berlin]
*[https://www.photogpedia.com/profile-series-the-complete-guide-to-helmut-newton Helmut Newton at Photogpedia]
*[[:de:Bild:Berlin gedenktafel helmut newton.jpg|Photo of the memorial plate]] at the birthplace of Newton in Berlin-Schöneberg, Innsbrucker Straße 24
*[http://guides.slv.vic.gov.au/photography Melbourne post-war photography], State Library of Victoria, Australia
*[http://www.ghidelli.net/scripophily/pirelli%20newton.html Pirelli Kalender-Entwurf von 1986]
*[https://www.zebraonegallery.com/news/12-helmut-newton-100-years/ Helmut Newton 100 Years]
{{Authority control}}
 
{{DEFAULTSORT:Newton, Helmut}}
[[Category:1920 births]]
[[Category:2004 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century Australian photographers]]
[[Category:Australian erotic photographers]]
[[Category:Australian people of German-Jewish descent]]
[[Category:BDSM photographers]]
[[Category:Fashion photographers]]
[[Category:Fetish photographers]]
[[Category:Australian portrait photographers]]
[[Category:Grand Crosses 1st class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany]]
[[Category:Commandeurs of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres]]
[[Category:German erotic photographers]]
[[Category:Jewish emigrants from Nazi Germany to Australia]]
[[Category:German expatriates in Malaysia]]
[[Category:Australian expatriates in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Australian expatriates in France]]
[[Category:Australian expatriates in the United States]]
[[Category:Photographers from Berlin]]
[[Category:Nude photographers]]
[[Category:Photographers from Melbourne]]
[[Category:Road incident deaths in California]]