He has been called the world’s foremost fashion photographer of all time, but also one of the most provocative with his titillating depictions of strong, independent women. In a new, unique exhibition, the Falsterbo Photo Art Museum presents more than a hundred original photographs signed by Helmut Newton, many odd and rarely shown. Photographic genius or provocateur? One thing is certain – this is an exhibition that will not leave anyone indifferent!
Newton was praised but also criticized for his provocative way of depicting women. But many hailed him for breaking taboos and both documenting and influencing society’s changing attitude to sex and female willpower.
His pictures, almost always in black and white, have a very own style where fashion comes second and the female model in the first place. In the pictures, there are many world names among photo models and actors such as Catherine Deneuve and Isabella Rossellini. The result was always glamorous, scandalous and titillating. The outside world was both captivated and horrified, and Helmut Newton quickly became the most copied fashion photographer of the 20th century.
He has sometimes been called cynical and exploitative, but the famous models he worked with say that he did not see the women as objects, but instead let them play the main role in an exciting story.
Through his lens, he depicted the feminist revolution where women were indeed seen as objects but at the same time had full control over their destinies. Where his early images depicted women surrounded by luxury and decadence, over time they transformed into increasingly amazon-like creatures who confidently paraded their well-trimmed muscles and high-heeled shoes. They exuded authority and seemed intensely engaged in a drama that continued off-screen, a larger story that the viewer was made aware of.
Of the exhibition’s more than a hundred numbered and signed original photographs, 59 come from Christina and Claes Lindquist’s private collections, while a further 45 works have been borrowed to give a very broad picture of a unique artistry.
Many of the most famous images are of course included, but also a number of odd and very rarely shown photographs, which makes the exhibition unique for Scandinavia.
Among other things, five of Newton’s most typical large-format photographs are shown, which are either completely unique or exist in only 2-5 copies. Another very unusual feature of the exhibition is also the nine pictures he took in 1999 on behalf of Volkswagen AG in connection with the new launch of The Beetle “the public bubble”. Collected in a specially made aluminum case and a picture CD, they are an almost erotic depiction of a car model.
Newton’s collection Big Nude consists of images that were photographed in large format in 1979–81. During the work, Newton also took 26 documentary pictures depicting the work. There are only two known sets of these 26 pictures – all signed – which for the first time in Sweden are now shown at the exhibition together with a handwritten letter by Newton.
