Helmut Newton Retrospective at Casa dei Tre Oci, Venice

A dense retrospective of Helmut Newton (Berlin, 1920 – Los Angeles, 2004) is on display at Casa dei Tre Oci in Venice until August 7, 2016. Curated by Denis Curti and Matthias Harder, the exhibition spans three floors and features images from the three books Newton personally supervised: White Women, Sleepless Nights, and Big Nudes. The project was initiated by Newton's wife and life partner. Newton's work, known for its irony, lucidity, and rejection of conventions, liberated itself from fashion dictates to achieve epoch-making autonomy. His portraits of women defy easy labeling as models, navigating between art, fashion aesthetics, and the real world while asserting control over their femininity. Despite frequent accusations of sexism, Newton captured an energetic, willful femininity that transcends the rigidity of fashion photography. The photographs exploit stereotypes to gain explosive autonomy, using irony and sophisticated atmospheres bordering on eroticism and glamour. Newton fragments the visual power of fashion accessories, making the female body the focal point. His use of mannequins, mirrors, and set objects critiques a system centered on appearance. In works like Self-Portrait with Wife and Models (1981), Newton blurs identities between photographer and subject. The exhibition also references Goya's Maja desnuda and Maja vestida, and includes the Sleepless Nights series and murder series scenes.