TASCHEN will soon release a 20th-anniversary version of the photography book The Helmut Newton SUMO.
When the book was first published it transcended the concept of a coffee table book, breaking records in physical weight, dimensions, and the resale price. Only 10,000 signed and numbered copies of that book were released, some of which can be found in museums like the New York’s Museum of Modern Art.
It of course featured incredible work by the renowned photographer in his signature style, capturing high fashion of the times, provocative mise-en-scènes, and evocative celebrity portraits.
The recent rerelease of the book is an XL edition, revised by Helmut Newton’s wife June Newton, who is also a photographer working under the pseudonym Alice Springs. (The two met in Australia after Newton escaped Nazi Germany, BTW.)
Newton has been credited as being the person who introduced empowering female nudity into fashion photography, which had previously been rather straightforward and conservative. He was a genius at blending simplicity, boldness, and journalistic styles into his work, all of which is still emulated today.
