koikoikoiThese are the last days to see the U.S premiere exhibition of Helmut Newton (1920-2004) at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston. The exhibition called “Helmut Newton: White Women · Sleepless Nights · Big Nudes” is featuring the entire content of Newton’s first three books with these titles, until September 25. There are 205 photographs from 1976 to 1981.
Helmut Newton, Jewish, was born in Berlin at 1920 and escaped to Singapore at 1938 when the Nazi’s Kristallnach anti-Semitic program started. His career began at Singapore Straits Times, but was in Melbourne in 1956 where he published for the first time in Vogue. His work was succeeded since the 60’s in Paris and U.S. where took place the most important contributions to fashion magazines like Vogue, Elle, Nova, or Playboy for 30 years.
The women are the center of Newton’s legacy and inspiration of his unique style. At an interview for El País at 2002 he said that he didn’t intend to make an intellectual work with his photographs but a visceral and narrative one. Nevertheless, intellectualizing Helmut Newton’s work is such a temptation as his images itself. He’s talking about the movement, liberty and desire surrounding sexuality, that just make sense considering all the political and social efforts and changes in those years, reflected not just in women costumes or behavior, inasmuch as they would not have been possible without a strong appealing for women rights. That’s one of the answers why contexts of sadomasochist, fetishistic, decision and female’s power are frequently attached as symbolic assumptions around the figure of the woman. Devoted, Newton’s works bring us a great tale of the subjectivity, moral, and cultural values underneath a new perception.
These are the last days to see the U.S premiere exhibition of Helmut Newton (1920-2004) at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston. The exhibition called “Helmut Newton: White Women · Sleepless Nights · Big Nudes” is featuring the entire content of Newton’s first three books with these titles, until September 25. There are 205 photographs from 1976 to 1981.
Helmut Newton, Jewish, was born in Berlin at 1920 and escaped to Singapore at 1938 when the Nazi’s Kristallnach anti-Semitic program started. His career began at Singapore Straits Times, but was in Melbourne in 1956 where he published for the first time in Vogue. His work was succeeded since the 60’s in Paris and U.S. where took place the most important contributions to fashion magazines like Vogue, Elle, Nova, or Playboy for 30 years.
The women are the center of Newton’s legacy and inspiration of his unique style. At an interview for El País at 2002 he said that he didn’t intend to make an intellectual work with his photographs but a visceral and narrative one. Nevertheless, intellectualizing Helmut Newton’s work is such a temptation as his images itself. He’s talking about the movement, liberty and desire surrounding sexuality, that just make sense considering all the political and social efforts and changes in those years, reflected not just in women costumes or behavior, inasmuch as they would not have been possible without a strong appealing for women rights. That’s one of the answers why contexts of sadomasochist, fetishistic, decision and female’s power are frequently attached as symbolic assumptions around the figure of the woman. Devoted, Newton’s works bring us a great tale of the subjectivity, moral, and cultural values underneath a new perception.