Helmut Newton Foundation

Helmut Newton and the HNF

During the course of a career spanning five decades, Helmut Newton became regarded as one of the world's leading photographers. A prolific image maker and genuine visionary - whose daring work bought him both fortune and notoriety - he continues to prove a major influence on modern photography and visual art.

In October 2003, a few months before his death, Newton established the Helmut Newton Foundation (HNF) - an organisation dedicated to the preservation and presentation of his own photographic works, and those of his wife, June Newton. From the 1970's onwards, Mrs. Newton created a significant body of portrait photographs under the pseudonym 'Alice Springs'.

Exhibition Space

The HNF benefits from a world-class architectural setting: a former Prussian Officer's Casino in Berlin-Charlottenburg, in the historic centre of West Berlin. Following a period of renovation, this beautiful building was re-opened to the public on June 3rd, 2004, with the exhibitions 'Us and Them' and 'Sex and Landscapes'. Since then over 500,000 visitors have enjoyed the photography shows on display in the 1,500 square meters of exhibition space.

Due to a public-private partnership with the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, an additional photo institution - the Museum for Photography - occupies the upper two floors, including the former 'Emperor's Ballroom'. This part of the building is currently closed for renovations, with re-opening planned for October 2009.

Exhibitions

According to the wishes of its founder, the HNF should not be a 'dead museum', but a 'living institution'. As such, each exhibition presents a selection of Helmut Newton's innovative, provocative images in dialogue with works by the very best photographers of our time.

The 2006 exhibition 'Men, War & Peace', contrasted images by another superstar photographer, David LaChapelle, with work by one of the world's leading war photographers, James Nachtwey. These were presented alongside 'Men', a series of portraits by Helmut Newton. This conceptually daring show enjoyed outstanding success.

A similar success was 'Wanted', the most recent exhibition, which juxtaposed seminal work by Larry Clark with that of his friend and compatriot, Ralph Gibson, alongside a large set of photographs from Newton's self-published magazine, 'Helmut Newton's Illustrated'.

The popularity of the exhibitions has allowed the HNF to establish itself as an dynamic new part of Berlin's cultural scene. The addition of a stunning setting, plus a permanent display entitled 'Helmut Newton's Private Property', make the foundation a must-see for anyone visiting this exciting city.

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