"Playboy: Helmut Newton" presents a brash retrospective of this photographic icon of the 20th Century. Available now from Chronicle Books, the book chronicles 30 years of a fertile partnership between Playboy and the master photographer/stylist.
Newton was an internationally renowned fashion photographer most widely known for his decades-long influence in the world of nude photography. With a detached mystique that combined models, props and distinct settings, he created art that was inimitably his own. He brought an overt sexuality to photography that simply hadn’t existed before.
The sexually provocative assignments that he undertook on behalf of Playboy are especially striking. Unconstrained by the dictates of the fashion world, Newton applied his own meticulous attention to detail to create unexpected works of art. He often introduced bizarre props and mannequins in an attempt to make the model herself look like an object. Coupled with the freedom to seek out erotic subjects of his choosing, Newton worked with them to the fullest extent of his imagination.
This collection has the distinction of featuring photographs personally selected by Playboy founder Hugh Hefner.
Some of the pictorials in "Playboy: Helmut Newton" include:
•200 Motels: A Lolita-like erotic travelog shot at seedy motels.
•Spring and Summer Fashion: Using fashion as a prop, Newton illustrates his perspective of the man’s cool dominance versus the woman’s overt submissiveness.
•Kinksi Exposed: Intriguing, somewhat eerie photos of Natassia Kinski with a doppelganger doll.
•Real Dolls: Photos of lifelike, custom-made dolls that were shot for Playboy but found too odd to place in the magazine.
•Prussian Guard: Militant eroticism inspired by the Prussian imagery of Newton’s youth.
•At Your Service: A campy and humorous photo sequence starring a 6-foot waitress Newton met at a Swiss hotel.
•Helmut's Angels: Newton’s version of Hell’s Angels, where the motorcycle is a symbol of desire.
•Big Lady Little Lady: Tantalizing ambiguity as a tall blonde is paired with a diminutive woman, who at first glance looks like a shapely child, thrusting the viewer into a perverse reaction
•Loving Ladies: An elegantly costumed woman eyeing a nude, her virtual replica, anticipates the likely interaction of control and submission.
•Helmut Newton's Playmates: Shot in Los Angeles, Newton makes a rare appearance with a dramatically posed nude under the Hollywood Sign.
Newton’s style was compelling, distinctive, and often surreal. There is an icy cold eroticism and a clear departure from the typical sensuality one might expect to find in nude photography. Newton’s breathtaking body of work includes portraits and cityscapes -- and always, the highly sexual woman serving as the lure.
His work first appeared in Playboy in the mid-seventies, where his contributions were seminal. Although he was under contract to Condé Nast, he always retained the right to freelance for Playboy. During the 70s and 80s, actresses clamored to be photographed by Newton, as a photo shoot with him guaranteed a certain stardom.
Playboy says the publication of this book is a fitting tribute to his visual philosophy and legacy. Newton died at the age of 83 in 2004 from injuries following a car crash in Los Angeles.
