Provenance
Sotheby's, London, 16 May 2006, lot 90
Christie's, Paris, 14 November 2014, lot 362
Artist Biography
Helmut Newton
German • 1920 - 2004
Helmut Newton's distinct style of eroticism and highly produced images was deemed rebellious and revolutionary in its time, as he turned the expected notion of beauty, depicted by passive and submissive women, on its head. Depicting his models as strong and powerful women, Newton reversed gender stereotypes and examined society's understanding of female desire.
Newton created a working space for his models that was part decadent and part unorthodox — a safe microcosm in which fantasies became reality. And perhaps most famously of all, Newton engendered an environment in which his female models claimed the space around them with unapologetic poise and commanding sensuality. His almost cinematic compositions provided a hyper-real backdrop for the provocative images of sculptural, larger-than-life women, and enhanced the themes of voyeurism and fetishism that run throughout his work.
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64

Helmut Newton

Sylvia reclining inside the house, Brescia, Italy, (Dressed and Naked)

1981
Gelatin silver print diptych.
Each approximately 47.5 x 58.6 cm (18 3/4 x 23 1/8 in.)
Each signed, titled, dated and numbered 3/10 in pencil on the verso.

Estimate
£20,000 - 30,000 ‡

Sold for £40,320

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Photographs

London Auction 20 May 2021