Artist: Helmut Newton
Title: Elsa Peretti II, 1975
Year: 1975
Edition: Open Edition
Medium: Vintage Silver Gelatin Print
Height (inches): 24
Width (inches): 20
This piece is unframed.
Description of piece:
"Elsa Peretti in Bunny Costume" is a lasting image of the 1970'. Newton shot this work in New York amongst towering skyscrapers that characterize the American Dream, equally epitomized by the Playboy lifestyle in the 70's . In Newton features the iconic motifs of his work - casting the intimacy of the night into the reality of the day, the clothing of the private into the sphere of the public and perhaps most masterfully, the voyeuristic gaze. From every window within the skyscrapers, we sense powerful gazes looking down on the Peretti. This is a rare print was produced in small numbers from a series of transparencies that Newton considered his most provocative and important work through 1985. Always unsigned, they were sent out to major publications to simulate interest in a photographer’s work. Most were destroyed or written over. The print comes with a Certificate of Authenticity, detailing the ownership rights which are supported by an original agreement with Helmut Newton, co-signed by his Paris agent, in 1984, and supported by a further Settlement agreement with The Helmut Newton Estate in 2012. It is an excellent example of vintage Helmut Newton photography, on a 20"x 24" silver gelatin sheet, displaying the beautiful finish that silver gelatin prints are revered for.
Artist bio:
Helmut Newton (1920 -2004) was one of the world’s most celebrated photographers, whose uniquely edgy imagery is coveted worldwide by collectors and aficionados of photographic art, with auction values increasing steadily. He was known as “The King of Kink”, making his name shooting models in striking, provocative black-and-white photographs for Vogue Magazine. His imagery broke the grounds of what was then considered respectful and elevated him to the ranks of the world’s most celebrated photographers. Newton created a working space for his models that was part decadent and part unorthodox — a safe microcosm in which fantasies became reality. 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. Amazingly, despite the fact that Newton was known for his erotically charged photography. Newton said, “The models were the same girls I used in my fashion work, gave them a certain elegance and coolness that I was looking for in my work.” - Helmut Newton - on models. "American Photo,” January / February 2000.
