The Helmut Newton Foundation in Berlin has unveiled a significant new double exhibition featuring "Newton, Riviera" alongside "Dialogues and Collection FOTOGRAFIS x Helmut Newton." The exhibition showcases the legendary photographer's profound relationship with the French Riviera, where he created many of his most iconic images during the latter part of his career.
The current Berlin presentation builds upon a successful collaboration from summer 2022, when Foundation Director Matthias Harder and Guillaume de Sardes co-curated the original "Newton, Riviera" exhibition for the historic Villa Sauber in Monte Carlo. That groundbreaking show marked the first time Newton's late-life home and the surrounding Mediterranean region took center stage as subjects of focused examination. The Berlin exhibition continues the foundation's ongoing exploration of Newton's personal and professional environments, following acclaimed recent exhibitions including "Hollywood" (2022) and "Berlin, Berlin" (2024/25).
A pivotal moment in Newton's life and career occurred at the turn of 1981/82, when he and his wife June made the decision to relocate from Paris to Monte Carlo. This geographic shift represented far more than a simple change of residence – it marked a dramatic transformation in Newton's photographic settings and artistic perspective. The effortless elegance that characterized his Parisian period gave way to a new focus on the Riviera's glamorous social scene, often captured against the stark concrete walls of Monaco's numerous construction sites that defined the principality's rapid development.
Even the most mundane locations became stages for Newton's bold artistic vision during his Monaco years. The modest garage of their apartment building was transformed into a sophisticated backdrop for his conceptually sharp fashion stories created for leading magazines and designers. This same utilitarian space also served as the setting for his enigmatic black-and-white series "The Woman on Level 4," demonstrating Newton's remarkable ability to find drama and beauty in unexpected environments.
Newton's connection to the French Riviera, however, extended far beyond his Monaco residence and predated his permanent relocation by nearly two decades. As early as 1964, he and June had purchased a small stone house near Ramatuelle, not far from the glamorous resort town of Saint-Tropez. This charming retreat served dual purposes as both a summer sanctuary and a creative workspace, where Newton produced striking black-and-white images for Vogue US as well as vibrant color photographs for the Pentax calendar series.
The current exhibition features an impressive collection of early prints, including rare vintage and lifetime prints that showcase the evolution of Newton's technique and vision. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, his unconventional fashion shoots took him to various prestigious locations along the coast, including Cannes and Nice, before expanding to other jewels of the Riviera such as Cap d'Antibes, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, and Menton. His photographic journeys even crossed international borders, extending to the Italian coastal town of Bordighera.
Across all these diverse Mediterranean locations, Newton masterfully explored his three signature genres – fashion, portrait, and nude photography – with the region's distinctive quality of light playing a central and defining role in his compositions. The unique luminosity of the Riviera became an integral element of his artistic expression, whether capturing the golden hour's warm glow or the dramatic contrasts of harsh midday sun. During quieter moments, he also photographed serene nocturnal seascapes from his Monaco balcony, creating contemplative works that revealed a more introspective side of his artistic personality.
These atmospheric landscape photographs found creative parallels in Newton's work during the mid-1990s in Berlin, where he applied similar compositional principles to urban environments. This body of work ultimately culminated in his acclaimed 2001 gallery exhibition "Sex and Landscapes" at Galerie de Pury – Luxembourg in Zurich. A version of this significant exhibition was also presented at the grand opening of the Helmut Newton Foundation in Berlin in June 2004, occurring shortly after the photographer's untimely death.
Now, more than two decades later, this new presentation of large-format original prints brings Newton's artistic journey full circle, offering visitors an opportunity to experience the power and scale of his vision as originally intended. The photographs taken along the Riviera coastline appear prominently in virtually all of Newton's major exhibitions and publications, spanning from his breakthrough "White Women" in 1976 to his final major work "Yellow Press" in 2003. The Mediterranean coastline served as a versatile backdrop throughout his career, sometimes providing spectacular dramatic settings and other times offering subtle environmental context that enhanced his subjects.
In a poignant conclusion to his lifelong relationship with the region, Newton's final professional photo shoot was a fashion series commissioned by Vogue Italia, which took place along the familiar Monaco coast where he had created so many memorable images. A comprehensive companion book titled "Newton, Riviera" was specially published for the original Monte Carlo exhibition by prestigious French publisher Gallimard, with the international edition subsequently released by Prestel. Both editions are currently available at the museum bookshop and in bookstores worldwide, offering readers an in-depth exploration of this crucial chapter in Newton's artistic legacy.
