About the photographer:
Helmut Newton (1920-2004) was one of the most influential fashion photographers of all time. Born in Berlin, he arrived in Australia in 1940 and married June Brunell (a.k.a. Alice Springs) eight years later. He achieved international fame in the 1970`s while working principally for French Vogue, and over the next three decades his celebrity and influence continued to grow. Eschewing studios for the most part, Newton preferred to shoot in the streets or in interiors. His mixture of controversial scenarios, bold lighting, and striking compositions came to form his signature look. In 1990 he was awarded the "Grand Prix National" for photography; in 1992 was awarded by the German government "Das Grosse Verdienstkreuz" for his services to German culture and was appointed "Officer des Arts, Lettres et Sciences" by S.A.S. Princess Caroline of Monaco. In 1996, he was appointed "Commandeur de l`Ordre des Arts et des Lettres" by Philippe Douste-Blazy, the French Minister of Culture. Working and living in close companionship with his wife until his death at 83, through his last click of the shutter he continued to be as distinctive and influential as ever.

About the author:
Françoise Marquet established a photographic department at the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris in 1981, acquiring the works an organising retrospectives of Duane Michals, Herbert List, Jean-Philippe Charbonnier, Helmut Newton (1985), Jeanloup sieff, Jan Saudek, and Manuel Alvarez Bravo. In 1997 she was appointed to the Petit Palais, Musée des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris