Helmut Newton Legacy Exhibition Opens at Palazzo Reale in Milan

Over 250 photographs by Helmut Newton are on display at Palazzo Reale in Milan in the exhibition 'Helmut Newton. Legacy', curated by Denis Curti and Matthias Harder. Originally planned for the centenary of Newton's birth in 2020 but postponed due to the pandemic, the show traces the photographer's career from the 1930s to his death in 2004. The chronological layout is divided into three thematic verticalities: fashion photography, nudes, and portraits. Highlights include the iconic portrait of Andy Warhol and Elsa Peretti as a Playboy bunny. The exhibition also features magazines, documents, and videos. Newton, born in Berlin in 1920 to a wealthy Jewish family, fled Nazi Germany in 1938, eventually settling in Australia. He gained fame in the 1950s working for Vogue Australia and Vogue UK, and later for French Vogue, Elle, Queen, and fashion houses like Yves Saint Laurent, Karl Lagerfeld, Chanel, Versace, and Dolce&Gabbana. He received the French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 1989, the German Cross of Merit in 1992, and the Grand Prix national de la photographie in 1990. The exhibition uses mostly recycled materials for its installation. After Milan, it will travel to Rome in autumn 2023 and Venice in spring 2024.