The artistic legacy of Helmut Newton (1920–2004), the Berlin-born enfant terrible of fashion and lifestyle photography, is given centre stage at Berlin's Photography Museum in a converted Prussian officers’ casino behind Bahnhof Zoo. On the top floor, the gloriously restored barrel-vaulted Kaisersaal (Emperor’s Hall) forms a grand backdrop for changing high-calibre photography exhibits drawn from the archive of the State Art Library.
Shortly before his fatal car crash, Newton donated 1500 images along with personal effects to the city in which he was born. He had studied photography here with famed fashion photographer Yva before fleeing Nazi Germany in 1938. His work reflects a lifelong obsession with the female body, which he often portrayed in controversial, quasi-pornographic poses. One famous image shows a crouched model wearing a horse’s saddle, while his best-known work – the ‘Big Nudes’ series – stars a flock of stark-naked Amazons. Even his landscapes and still lifes are often charged with cold eroticism. The galleries on the 1st floor showcase his vision, while the ground floor is essentially a shrine to the man. Highlights include his partially recreated office in Monte Carlo, his first camera (an Agfa Box he bought aged 12) and his blue Jeep (dubbed the Newton-Mobile).
