In this exhibition, the photographic works of Helmut Newton and Steven Klein are united because they both share an inclination for the erotic, the fetishistic, the humorous, and the glamorous – elements which have universal appeal.
Helmut Newton has long been known as an icon of fashion photography and scandalized magazine readers in the 1970s and 1980s with his charged and witty depictions of sex and power. From the 1990s to the present, Steven Klein has taken up Newton’s baton with his equally provocative images while reflecting contemporary attitudes about beauty, gender, and sexuality.
While both artists possess such distinctive styles that their very names can be used as descriptors, this exhibition unites two visionaries who are both unafraid of “the dark side,” resulting in bodies of work that command attention and expand the definitions of fashion photography.
HELMUT NEWTON was born in Berlin in 1920 and from an early age was interested in photography, assisting the prominent photographer Yva. With the emergence of the Nazis, his Jewish family fled Germany in 1938. Newton eventually landed in Australia, where he began his life as a photographer, achieving success and ultimately moving to Paris with his wife, June. In addition to his many years of editorial photography, most notably in the French and American editions of VOGUE, Newton released several books of his work, beginning with “White Women” in 1976. His work continues to be exhibited worldwide and is included in the permanent collections of institutions, including the International Center of Photography in New York, the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, and most significantly, the Helmut Newton Foundation in Berlin, which was founded shortly after his death in Los Angeles in 2004.
STEVEN KLEIN was born in Rhode Island in 1965 and studied painting at the Rhode Island School of Design before concentrating on photography in the 1990s in Paris, becoming one of the most provocative and influential image-makers of the contemporary era. In addition to creating advertising campaigns for the world’s leading brands, Klein’s work continues to be published in magazines such as VOGUE and Vanity Fair. He is particularly known for his photographic collaborations with designers and artists, including Alexander McQueen, Tom Ford, Brad Pitt, and Madonna. His work has been exhibited at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris and the Brooklyn Museum in New York, and is included in the permanent collections of institutions including the V&A Museum and the National Portrait Gallery in London and the International Center of Photography in New York. His first monograph, “Steven Klein,” was published by Phaidon in 2022. Most of the images in this exhibition are also included in his newest book, “Steven Klein VOGUE,” which was published in 2025 by Abrams.