Foam Museum: Helmut Newton

Much like the Banksy & Warhol exhibition at Moco, I did not get to the Foam Museum as early as I hoped. I finally visited last Thursday after work. It was between the Zara Half Yearly Sale and Helmut Newton – Zara can wait. This is the best exhibition I’ve seen in a long time. So good in fact, I’ve contemplated going back for round two. 

Who is Helmut Newton

If you aren’t familiar with Helmut Newton’s work, I’m here to fill you in. Helmut Newton was one of the most talented and influential fashion photographers of the twentieth century. He was born in Berlin in 1920. In 1938, he was threatened by the Nazi regime and fled the country relocating to Singapore. He worked as a humble photojournalist until he moved to Australia in the 1940s. He enlisted and served five years in the Australian Army before moving to Melbourne. There, he opened a studio and vowed to make a living as a photographer. In Melbourne he also met his late wife, June Browne, an Australian actress and photographer.

Becoming Helmut Newton

Over the years he worked any job he could to support himself and June. He moved onto London and shortly after relocated to Paris – where he was commissioned by Paris Vogue. Paris was perfect for Newton – there were flawless long-legged women, timeless streets and elegant cafés everywhere he looked – picture perfect. 

He was finally getting paid the big bucks, he was not entirely the Helmut Newton we know until the 1970s. In 1971 he suffered a major heart attack that not only changed his life, but completely reinvented his photography. His already sexual photographs became even more erotic. He took risks no other photographer had taken. He chose only the strongest and most attractive women and portrayed them as dominant creatures. The men took on roles as passive observers completely controlled by the women in the photographs. 

He experimented with clever scenes that mimicked everyday life. He highlighted women from the upper class in strange situations: catching the maid with her husband, cheating on her spouse with her girlfriend, crossdressing with an acquaintance, watching strangers galavant through the streets dressed as prostitutes – all scenes inspired by the reality of the socially elite. He then played with his models as toys. He juxtaposed the real and the surreal within one image, subbing out body parts for inanimate objects and exploring rarely talked about fetishes and fantasies.

Favorite Work

Perhaps my favorite photographs are They Are Coming. I loved it so much, I completely forgot to take any pictures! In 1981, Newton decided to experiment with a new technique. He had already photographed hundreds of nude women and hundreds of clothed women, but what would happen when you juxtaposed the two side-by-side? He took his camera and his assistant grabbed his Polaroid while the four nude models stood stark naked in the Paris Metro. He photographed the four women in the nude while his assistant made sure to catch every angle of the pose with the Polaroid camera so that they could recreate the exact scene with clothes on. The poses are identical with the only difference being the shoes swapped – adding a touch of humor to the provocative scene.

Newton passed away not too far from his home during a tragic car accident in West Hollywood in 2004. His work lives on and inspires a whole range of today’s top photographers and fashion designers. The Foam Museum features more than 200 photographs by Newton in addition to a must-see documentary filmed by his always supportive wife, June Newton. Be sure to visit before September 4th! 

Foam Museum, Keizersgracht 609