Helmut Newton, whose fashion photography created a bold look that inspired such global fashion moguls as Carl Lagerfeld and Yves St. Laurent, was born 100 years ago this year. Examples of Newton’s work were omnipresent in fashion magazine during the ’70s and ’80s: these bizarre photos featured long-legged Germanic and Aryan women (with the notable exception of the androgynous Black icon, Grace Jones) in various stages of undress — very often completely undressed — in surreal settings, glaring at the camera. In Helmut Newton: The Bad and the Beautiful, the photographer and his art are not so much defended as explained through the voices of the world’s top models and movie icons with whom he worked: Isabella Rossellini, Catherine Deneuve, Charlotte Rampling, Hanna Schygulla, Claudia Schiffer, Marianne Faithfull, Nadja Auerman, and Grace Jones, among others. All speak enthusiastically of his methods, his art, and his tremendous sense of humor.
The documentary chronicles the enormous influence Newton had on both international art and fashion advertising.
CONTINUE READING . . .
The documentary chronicles the enormous influence Newton had on both international art and fashion advertising.
CONTINUE READING . . .