Helmut Newton

He was born in Berlin, the son of a Jewish garment factory owner. he attended the Werner von Trotschke Gymnasium and the American School in Berlin. Interested in photography from a young age he worked for the German photographer Else Simon[?], known as Yva, from 1936. He left Germany in 1938 and worked briefly in Singapore as a photographer for the Straits Times. He served with the Australian Army during WW II, working in logistics.

In 1948 he married the Australian actresse June Brunell. Postwar he worked as a freelance photographer, producing fashion shoots and work for magazines such as Playboy. From the late 1950s he concentrated on fashion photography.

He settled in Paris in 1961 and began extensive work as a fashion photographer. His works appeared in magazines including, most significantly, French Vogue[?]. He established a particular style marked by erotic, stylised scenes, often with violent subtexts. A heart attack in 1970 slowed his output somewhat but he extended his work and his noteriety/fame greatly increased, notably with his 1980 "Big Nudes" series which marked the pinnacle of his erotic-urban style, underpinned with excellent technical skills. He also works in portraiture and more fantastical studies.

He currently lives in Monte Carlo and Los Angeles.