Shooting
beauties: the fashion photography of Helmut Newton
Helmut Newton once said, “Some people’s
photography is an art. Mine is not. If they happen to be exhibited
in a gallery or a museum, that’s fine. But that’s
not why I do them. I’m a gun for hire.” (Newsweek,
02/02/04) This prosaic proclamation from one of the 20th century’s
most celebrated photographers is not a little shocking, but nonetheless
firmly positions Newton as the no-frills image-maker that he was.
His work is so powerful, so striking, that it defies categorization.
In refusing to call his work “art,” Newton leaves
us free to do so, and judging from the amount of museum and gallery
shows that have featured his work, it is clear that the option
has been widely exercised. This book brings together a selection
of Newton’s fashion catalog work from as early as 1962 through
2003 and his last editorial photographs for US and Italian Vogue—all
work he made as a “gun for hire.”
Big book, high quality printed in Germany, 216 pages with great
photos by Helmut Newton. |