VINTAGE NEWTON: A HELMUT NEWTON POP-UP EXHIBITION IN LONDON

Text by On Gallery

 

Vintage Newton, a three day pop-up exhibition of original Helmut Newton vintage prints, including images from the 70s and 80s were hosted at The Showroom Presents, 25 Effie Road, Fulham Broadway, SW6 1EL, from Thursday 26th to Saturday 28th November 2015.

 

The exhibition was one of the largest of its kind for many years in London and was consisted of 24 original vintage silver gelatin prints produced in limited numbers by Helmut Newton. These prints were produced from a series of transparencies that he considered his most provocative and important work through 1985.

 

VINTAGE PRINTS

It’s worth noting that the term ‘vintage print’ refers to the origins of an image; they are prints of images printed by the artist at or around the time the shot was first taken. They were usually sent, unsigned, to newspaper and magazine editors in order to try to stimulate interest in the photographer’s work. Since editors received so many of these images, most were destroyed or ended up in a bin, making those that have survived rather rare.

 

Helmut Newton vintage prints were gifted to Norman Solomon, in recognition for the work he had done for Newton in promoting his ‘Private Property’ series of exhibitions in 1985. As a professional agent for artists, Norman Solomon recognised the potential value of these prints, and therefore kept them stored in conservation condition.

 

All of the Helmut Newton images featured in the xhibition were taken during the 70s and early 80s and we can confirm that they all originate from pre-1984. Born into a Jewish family in Berlin in 1920, Helmut Newton was a “prolific, widely imitated fashion photographer whose provocative, erotically charged black-and-white photos were a mainstay of Vogue and other publications.” (New York Times)

 

Controversy has routinely followed Newton’s photography. Critics denounced him for reducing female sexuality to naked bodies and for voyeuristically exhibiting women’s intimacy, but Newton always insisted that he adored women and that his photographs portrayed female power and strength. Whatever your opinion, his outstanding iconic images make him one of the most sought after photographers of all time.

 

Cover photo: Helmut Newton, Saddle II