Helmut Newton

Helmut Newton was a German high-fashion photographer whose subversive approach to subject matter brought an edge to his editorial spreads. “There must be a certain look of availability in the women I photograph,” he said of his models. “I think the woman who gives the appearance of being available is sexually much more exciting than a woman who's completely distant. This sense of availability I find erotic.” Born on October 31, 1920 in Berlin, Germany, Newton’s Jewish heritage meant that he had to flee his home country during the Nazi rise to power. The artist settled in Australia in the 1940s, where he later set up a studio. Newton went on to photograph models Cindy Crawford and Charlotte Rampling for several well-known magazines, including Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Playboy, and Elle. Though he continued to work commercially throughout his life, he began creating more personal work during the 1970s. In 1999, his now-famous book SUMO, was released by TASCHEN publishing house, chronicling decades of his most iconic work. The artist died in an automobile accident on January 23, 2004 at the age of 83 in West Hollywood, CA. Today, his works can be found in the collections of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the National Library of Australia in Canberra, and the International Center of Photography in New York.