Helmut Newton – Art of Photography

Music : Yann Tiersen – La Boulange

Helmut Newton, born Helmut Neustädter (October 31, 1920 — January 23, 2004) was a German-Australian photographer. He was a “prolific, widely imitated fashion photographer whose provocative, erotically charged black-and-white photos were a mainstay of Vogue and other publications.”

BIOGRAPHY
1920: born in berlin as helmut neustädter; resides in berlin-schöneberg.

1930 until 1934: attends school at the heinrich von treitschke realgymnasium in berlin-schöneberg.

1934 until 1938: resides in berlin-halensee.

1934 until 1935: attends the american school in berlin-schöneberg. after change of residence, attends secondary school in berlin-grunewald.

1936 until 1938: apprenticeship with the portrait, nude and fashion photographer yva (else simon, neé neuländer) in berlin-charlottenburg.

1938: flees berlin via train at zoo station towards trieste, taking with him two stills cameras. finds work in singapore at the “singapore straits times.”

1940: arrives in australia and serves for five years in the australian army. in 1946 becomes an australian citizen.

1947: meets actress june brunell, who poses as a model for him. they marry one year later.

1956: extended travels through europe. in london acquires a one-year contract at british vogue, which newton quits after 11 months. thereafter in paris and return to melbourne; contract with australian vogue.

1961: back to paris, takes apartment in the rue aubriot in marais quarter. full-time position with french vogue, occasional editorial photography for british vogue and queen.

1964: until 1966 editorials for french elle.

1964: acquires a small house and vineyard in ramatuelle, not far from st. tropez, where helmut and june newton will spend their future vacations.

1966: renews contract with french vogue under the new editor-in-chief francine crescent.

1970: june newton (alias alice springs) begins her career as photographer: when her husband is ill, she steps in to shoot a cigarette advertisement.

1971: helmut newton suffers a heart attack in new york. convalescence in lennox hill hospital, new york.

1975:first exhibitions of the commercially successful photographer: first solo exhibit in the nikon gallery in paris.

1976: publication of his first volume of photographs white women.

1981: helmut and june newton move from paris to monaco; they will spend the winter months in los angeles.

1990: awarded the french “grand prix national de la photographie.”

1992: awarded “officier des arts, lettres et sciences” in monaco as well as presentation of the das grosse verdienstkreuz of the federal republic of germany.

1996: commendation to “commandeur de l’ordre des arts et lettres” by the french ministry of culture.

2000: large retrospective for his 80th birthday in the new national gallery (neue nationalgalerie) in berlin that travels to london, new york, tokyo, moscow and prague, among others.

2003: formal agreement on the establishment of the helmut newton foundation in berlin with the prussian cultural heritage foundation (stiftung preußischer kulturbesitz).

2004: helmut newton dies in los angeles. the helmut newton foundation is opened shortly following his death.