Culture

Helmut Newton. Berlin, Berlin

Helmut Newton. Berlin, Berlin

Berlin had an indelible influence on Helmut Newton and his photographic work. Many of his iconic images show the fascination he held for the city throughout his remarkable career from the 1930s to the 21st century: nightcrawlers in uber-cool clubs, nude portraits in the old Berlin guesthouses of his youth, and the Berlin film scene.

The Heart and Soul of Berlin

Helmut Newton’s homage to his hometown

Berlin has always been eine schwule Stadt.” Helmut Newton

Born in Berlin in 1920, Helmut Newton trained as a teenager with legendary photographer Yva, following her lead into the enticing pastures of fashion, portraiture and nudes. Forced to flee the Nazis aged only 18, Newton never left Berlin behind. After his career exploded in Paris in the 1960s, he returned regularly to shoot for magazines like Constanze, Adam, Vogue, Condé Nast’s Traveler, ZEITmagazin, Männer Vogue, Max and the Süddeutsche Zeitung Magazin as well as his own magazine Helmut Newton’s Illustrated.

In 1979, the newly relaunched German Vogue commissioned him to retrace the footsteps of his youth to capture the fashion moment. The resulting portfolio, Berlin, Berlin!, inspired the title of the exhibition which celebrates 20 years of the Helmut Newton Foundation.

This collection includes Newton’s most iconic Berlin images, as well as many unknown shots from the 1930s to the 2000s: nightcrawlers in uber-cool clubs and restaurants, nude portraits in the boarding houses he knew from his youth, and the Berlin film scene, featuring Hanna Schygulla and Wim Wenders at the Berlin Wall, John Malkovich and David Bowie.

In October 2003, only months before his death, Newton moved large parts of his archive to his new foundation, housed in the Museum of Photography beside the Zoologischer Garten station—the very station from which he fled Berlin in the winter of 1938. This publication thus closes a circle in the story of his extraordinary life and work.

The photographer

Helmut Newton (1920–2004) was one of the most influential photographers of all time. He first achieved international fame in the 1970s while working principally for the different international editions of Vogue, where he was celebrated for his controversial scenarios and the ability to make a thoroughly planned photograph seem fresh and dynamic. His many titles and awards include Commandeur dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.

The author

Matthias Harder studied art history, classical archaeology, and philosophy in Kiel and Berlin. He is a member of the German Society of Photography and an advisory council member of the European Month of Photography. Head curator of the Helmut Newton Foundation in Berlin from 2004, and since 2019 the Foundation’s director, he has written numerous articles for art magazines, books and exhibition catalogues.

Credits: © Courtesy of Tachen
Share
Pubblicato da
Rosalba Radica

Leggi anche

Alicia Vikander wears Louis Vuitton to the GQ Men Of The Year Awards 2024 in London

Alicia Vikander wears Louis Vuitton to the GQ Men Of The Year Awards 2024 in…

4 ore fa

Callum Turner named as Louis Vuitton House Ambassador

Louis Vuitton is delighted to announce celebrated actor Callum Turner as its newest House Ambassador.…

1 giorno fa

Dior presents Beatrice Borromeo

Beatrice Borromeo wore a Dior grey wool and silk jacket and pleated skirt. She also…

2 giorni fa

Saoirse Ronan wears custom Louis Vuitton to the 15th Governors Awards

Saoirse Ronan wears custom Louis Vuitton to the 15th Governors Awards.

2 giorni fa

Elle Fanning dressed in Dior by Maria Grazia Chiuri for Hamilton Behind The Camera Awards

Elle Fanning brought poetic drama to the Hamilton Behind The Camera Awards in a Dior…

3 giorni fa

Emily Ratajkowski è la nuova brand ambassador di Intimissimi

Intimissimi dà il benvenuto a Emily Ratajkowski come nuova Brand Ambassador. Intimissimi, brand italiano di…

3 giorni fa

L'Opinionista © 2008 - 2024 - Fashion Press supplemento a L'Opinionista Giornale Online - tutti i diritti sono riservati
reg. trib. di Pescara n.08/08 - iscrizione al ROC n°1798 - P. iva 01873660680
Contatti - Redazione - Pubblicita' - Notizie moda del giorno - Privacy Policy - Cookie Policy

SOCIAL: Facebook - Twitter - Instagram