The Best of Helmut Newton Paperback – November 19, 1996

Nice collection of Newton's work. The woman on the cover is Jodi Foster.

Helmut Newton was a innovator in black and white photos of naked women it unusual positions. The shadows and the target is always unique

A masterpiece in black n white eroticism!!!!Mr. Newton's works are ALWAYS masterpieces!!!!!You can't go wrong and are GREAT pieces of conversation!!1

very good survey book hitting all the highlights. A good companion to hardcover "Work" of his photos. I loved it.

"My women are always victorious." -- Helmut NewtonThis collection of Helmut Newton's work casts a special focus on his harder edge images of women as sexually domineering and manipulative. Among the fetishes and voyeuristic images are some wonderful portraits of women, as well. The book is an interesting study in how strongly the personality of the model can be injected into a portrait, especially by the objects chosen, the setting, and the way clothes are worn. The essays do an excellent job of developing your understanding of his methods.Before going further, please be aware that these images contain much female nudity in sexual situations and one male nude. If these images were in a motion picture, some would undoubtedly go beyond an "R" rating. Many of these images are not appropriate for children, in my view.Many people think of Helmut Newton as a fashion photographer. These images focus instead on the timelessness of the female personality and role in "overcoming the other." "The clothes . . . only have one purpose: to insufficiently conceal the long, slender female bodies . . . [which] lack innocence." In each case, the women are "defiant."I found his more playful images, rather than his darker side, the most rewarding. I especially liked "Sie Kommon" where the same scene is done first as dressed and then as naked. It is a stunning set of facing pages. In many other images, he appears in the photograph while taking it. Yet in other cases, the model is juxtaposed against a background object that creates a moderately sexual joke.I graded the book down one star for overrepresenting the sexual dominance theme at the expense of Newton's other styles, since this is a "best of" book by its title. The sexual dominance images are often highly repetitive, and sometimes not particularly appealing in any way -- even as abstract compositions.Here are my favorites in the book:British "Vogue", London 1967 (images 3 and 4)Tan Giudirelli for Mic-Mac, Paris 1970French "Vogue", Paris 1975"Sie Kommon", Dressed and Naked 1981Jodie Foster, Hollywood 1987 (jacket cover image)Leni Riefenstahl, near Munich 1992Big Nude II, Paris 1980Study for Voyeurism, Los Angeles 1989Helmut Berger, Beverly Hills 1984Skull and diamond necklace, Paris 1979Andy Warhol, Paris 1974Crocodile eating ballerina, Wuppertai 1983After you enjoy this book, think about what you believe about women that makes these images work or not work well for you. Where do you detect "truth" and where does the image seem "made up" to you? In particular, is life this sexually tinted?Then imagine how you would have to change these photographs in order to create feelings of love, peace, and progress. How would you benefit or not benefit from such images as compared to these?Should the person describing the world have an agenda, or a slant . . . or simply seek to reveal the underlying overall truth that is already there?Which one of these (if any) is Newton doing?Overcome your stalled thinking that what you see is literally what it seems to be. This book will help you with that.

This features B/W and color photos of fashion, bare skin, and some famous people. Insightful.

Through the images in the book, we live vicariously in the moments that are not within the ordinary realm. The candid and artful imageries of the famous and memorable are my favorites.

is worth a thousand words. He just has that magic!