On 19 October the expansive retrospective exhibition HELMUT NEWTON. LEGACY opened at the Bank Austria Kunstforum Wien in Austria.
With around 300 works, half of which are being shown for the first time in Austria, the retrospective will feature lesser-known aspects of Newton’s oeuvre, including many of his more unconventional fashion photographs, which span the decades and reflect the changing spirit of the times. The presentation will be complemented by Polaroids and contact sheets that give insight into the creation process of some of the iconic motifs featured, as well as special publications, archival material, and statements by the photographer.
It was in the 1960s that Newton found his inimitable style in Paris, as seen in his photographs of the revolutionary fashion designed by André Courrèges. Working for well-known fashion magazines, Newton not only took classic studio shots but also ventured into the streets, where he staged models as participants in a protest, protagonists in a paparazzi story, and more. His clients’ sometimes stringent requirements and narrow expectations were an incentive for him to challenge traditional modes of representation.
In the 1970s, Newton began to enjoy unlimited creative possibilities while shooting on location – whether by helicopter on the beach in Hawaii or in a Parisian hourly hotel, where he included himself in a lingerie campaign through strategically placed mirrors. Repeatedly testing social and moral boundaries, sometimes he even redefined them. Until the end of his life he continued to both disturb and enchant people with his visions and visualizations of fashion and femininity. No other photographer has likely been published more often than Helmut Newton, and many of his iconic images have become part of our collective visual memory. Now, following intensive research in the foundation’s archives, forgotten and surprising photographs are coming to light.
HELMUT NEWTON. LEGACY
Until 15 January 2023
Bank Austria Kunstforum Wien
Freyung 8
1010 Wien, Austria
https://www.kunstforumwien.at/
