Artist: Helmut Newton
Title: “Hugh Hefner and Carrie Leigh, Beverly Hills”
Year created: 1984
Medium: Vintage Silver Gelatin Print
Height (inches): 20
Width (inches): 24
This piece is unframed.
Description of piece:
Helmut Newton’s distinct style of eroticism and highly provocative images was deemed rebellious and revolutionary in its time, as he turned the expected notion of beauty, depicted by passive and submissive women, on its head. This is a rare print and was produced in small numbers from a series of transparencies that Newton considered his most provocative and important work through 1985. Always unsigned, they were sent out to major publications to simulate interest in a photographer’s work. Most were destroyed or written over. The print comes with a Certificate of Authenticity, detailing the ownership rights which are supported by an original agreement with Helmut Newton, co-signed by his Paris agent, in 1984, and supported by a further Settlement agreement with The Helmut Newton Estate in 2012. It is an excellent example of vintage Helmut Newton photography, on a 20"x 24" silver gelatin sheet, displaying the beautiful finish that silver gelatin prints are revered for.
Artist bio:
Helmut Newton was known as “The King of Kink”, making his name shooting models in striking, provocative black-and-white photographs for Vogue Magazine. His imagery broke the grounds of what was then considered respectful and elevated him to the ranks of the world’s most celebrated photographers. He depicted his models as strong and powerful women, Newton reversed gender stereotypes and examined society’s understanding of female desire and created a working space for his models that was part decadent and part unorthodox — a safe microcosm in which fantasies became reality. And perhaps most famously of all, Newton engendered an environment in which his female models claimed the space around them with unapologetic poise and commanding sensuality. His almost cinematic compositions provided a hyper-real backdrop for the provocative images of sculptural, larger-than-life women, and enhanced the themes of voyeurism and fetishism that run throughout his work. This is a rare print and was produced in small numbers from a series of transparencies that Newton considered his most provocative and important work through 1985. Always unsigned, they were sent out to major publications to simulate interest in a photographer’s work. Most were destroyed or written over.
Includes a certificate of authenticity