Helmut Newton, born Helmut Neustädter (1920, Berlin, Germany – 2004, California, USA) was a German-Australian fashion photographer noted for his nude studies of women.
In many ways Helmut mocks the fashion industry as he strengthens it. He blatantly exposes a side of it that is difficult to detect or absent in other fashion photography. Take for example one of his better known works 'Sie kommen!' ('Here They Come!'), which copies are sold for more than $55,000. It is a two part image, one image depicts the models clothed and the other they are in the exact same position, but nude. In a strange way the nude depiction lacks much of the sexuality you'd expect, due to aggressive posturing. Their nudity has become dress, they are in essence fashion warriors. They say, 'Look, but don't touch. Look, we are coming... but not for you.' They send the message, as with fashion, 'Look and die with desire.' While this may not be the desire of the beholder, it is definitely that of the fashion wearer.
As with many of his photos,Helmut exposes the discomfort women endure to be alluring. The dark side of fashion, depicted in 'Pension Dorian', shows model Jenny Kapitan in a leg cast and neck brace. "That was a real cast! I had twisted my knee dancing rock-and-roll and when I appeared, abashed, before Helmut for the shooting, he said: 'That fits me perfectly, I've been doing all these pictures with braces.'" He was attracted to her injury, her deficiency. The two casts, the cane by means of which she stands - they are signifiers of her pain. But notice how straight she stands, how she thrusts her hips forward and holds her head aloft. It is a poignant image, delivered in the codes of sexuality, but also that of the cure. She is in a vulnerable state, which triggers a basic male instinct to respond. The cast and brace are worn as sexual fashion accessories; sex, the cure for death. Another side of this image reads, 'Style robs you of life, it is violent - even to others.'
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