Helmut Newton. Work - Tapa dura

Turning 80 is not so bad when the occasion is marked by a sweeping retrospective of your life's work. An exhibition of 300 works by Helmut Newton, curated by June Newton and Taschen editor Manfred Heiting, opens on October 30th 2001 at the Berliner Nationalgalerie. This is the catalogue of the exhibition, and features works carefully selected for the exhibition from Newton's entire career, including many images not appearing in "Sumo". The catalogue presents an overview of the provocative, groundbreaking photography that has inspired an entire genre.

The photographer: Helmut Newton(1920-2004) was one of the most influential photographers of all time. Born in Berlin, he arrived in Australia in 1940 and married June Brunell (a.k.a. Alice Springs) eight years later. He first achieved international fame in the 1970's while working principally for "French""Vogue," and his celebrity and influence grew over the decades. Newton preferred to shoot in streets or interiors, rather than studios. Controversial scenarios, bold lighting, and striking compositions came to form his signature look. In 1990 he was awarded the "Grand Prix national de la photographie"; in 1992 the German government awarded him "Das Grosse ""Verdienstkreuz" for services to German culture, and he was appointed "Officier ""des Arts, Lettres et Sciences" by S.A.S. Princess Caroline of Monaco. In 1996, he was appointed "Commandeur de l'Ordre ""des Arts et des Lettres" by Philippe Douste-Blazy, the French Minister of Culture at the time. Working and living in close companionship with his wife until his death at 83, his images remain as distinctive, seductive and orginal as ever. The author: Francoise Marquet established a photographic department at the Musee d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris in 1981, acquiring the works and organising retrospectives of Duane Michals, Herbert List, Jean-Philippe Charbonnier, Helmut Newton (1985), Jeanloup Sieff, Jan Saudek, and Manuel Alvarez Bravo. In 1997 she was appointed to the Petit Palais, Musee des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris. The editor: Manfred Heitingis an internationally acknowledged expert on and collector of photographs and books, who divides his time between Amsterdam and Malibu. He is a founder-member of the J. Paul Getty Museum Council and a member of the supervisory board of the Herb Ritts Foundation, both located in Los Angeles. He is editor of "Deutschland im Fotobuch" (2011) and co-editor of "Autopsie, deutschsprachige Fotobucher 1918-1945" (2012).