In Saddle II, featured in a 1976 editorial for Vogue Hommes, Helmut Newton photographed a lingerie-clad model perched atop a leather saddle with the reigns and whip in her hands. This, and its complementary image, Saddle I, were a playful wink to the luxury brand Hermès and its shop on Faubourg Saint-Honoré in Paris where women’s accessories were displayed alongside the brand’s equestrian tack.
This exceptional work is one of five Helmut Newton prints being offered in the sale from a Private New York Collection. The group features several of Newton’s most iconic images from the 1970s, including Mannequins Quai d’Orsay II, 1977 (lot 336) and Rue Aubriot, 1975 (lot 337), and highlights the distinct aesthetic for which he became known. His suggestive and unapologetically erotic images, produced amidst the second wave of feminism where women were boldly reclaiming their sexuality, revolutionized fashion photography in the latter half of the 20th century and, to this day, remain as audacious as when they debuted nearly 50 year ago.
