[vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/3″][vc_column_text text_lead=”yes”]Upon establishing his foundation in Berlin in 2003, Helmut Newton expressed his wish to provide a forum not only for his own works, but for that of other photographers as well. His wish continues to be fulfilled posthumously, now with two unique projects by two of Helmut Newton\u2019s friends and colleagues: Mario Testino and Jean Pigozzi.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text]Mario Testino<\/strong>\u2019s Undressed<\/em> is a site-specific installation comprising fashion and nude photos. It was conceived exclusively for the Helmut Newton Foundation. The work analyses the boundaries between fashion, eroticism, anatomy and art, as well as a metaphorical undressing of Mario Testino that delves deeper into his archive and his working practice.\u00a050 larger-than-life images are affixed directly to the walls in three of the foundation\u2019s exhibition halls, reaching into the corners of the room and up to the ceiling. This presentation form is unique to both Testino\u2019s work as well as the exhibition history of the Helmut Newton Foundation, filling the rooms with bodies and emotions to create an imposing human landscape.<\/p>\n Helmut Newton<\/strong> is represented by original prints in various formats, selected from the foundation\u2019s archive, they have for the most part not been previously shown. These complement Newton\u2019s well-known work. Newton famously and subtly combined nudity and fashion \u2013 and to this day invariably turns those of us who view his work into voyeurs. Newton\u2019s photographs thus document and comment on the shifting role of women in Western society at the time. This aspect applies to all of his work in its timeless elegance \u2013 and the same can be said of Mario Testino.<\/p>\n Pool Party<\/em> by Jean Pigozzi<\/strong> is presented in June\u2019s Room, featuring small-format, snapshot-like images taken around Pigozzi\u2019s swimming pool in Cap d\u2019Antibes, near Villa Dorane, which was built for his father Henri in 1953 by Ettore Sottsass. Helmut and June Newton, among other A-listers, came here several times to unwind or frolic in glamour. We encounter spontaneous, surprising, and very private images of Pigozzi\u2019s friends, united around the pool. The photographs feature the likes of Mick Jagger and Bono, Liz Taylor and Naomi Campbell \u2013 many of the same VIPs that Newton portrayed in his work.[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]read more<\/a>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row unlock_row_content=”yes” row_height_percent=”0″ override_padding=”yes” h_padding=”2″ top_padding=”2″ bottom_padding=”2″ overlay_alpha=”50″ gutter_size=”0″ column_width_percent=”100″ shift_y=”0″ z_index=”0″][vc_column width=”1\/1″][vc_gallery el_id=”gallery-424647″ type=”carousel” medias=”79305,79303,79301,79299,79297,79293,79291,79295″ carousel_lg=”1″ carousel_md=”1″ carousel_sm=”1″ gutter_size=”2″ carousel_height=”equal” carousel_interval=”0″ carousel_navspeed=”400″ carousel_nav=”yes” carousel_nav_mobile=”yes” carousel_dots=”yes” carousel_dots_mobile=”yes” carousel_dots_inside=”yes” stage_padding=”0″ single_overlay_color=”color-jevc” single_overlay_opacity=”10″ single_image_anim=”no” single_padding=”2″ lbox_caption=”yes” lbox_no_tmb=”yes”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/1″][vc_custom_heading heading_semantic=”h4″ text_size=”h4″]Selected Works[\/vc_custom_heading][vc_gallery el_id=”gallery-494543″ medias=”79327″ explode_albums=”yes” filtering=”yes” filtering_uppercase=”yes” gutter_size=”2″ screen_lg=”1000″ screen_md=”600″ screen_sm=”480″ single_overlay_color=”color-jevc” single_overlay_opacity=”10″ single_image_anim=”no” single_padding=”2″ lbox_caption=”yes” lbox_no_tmb=”yes” filter_all_text=”All”][vc_empty_space empty_h=”2″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row row_height_percent=”50″ override_padding=”yes” h_padding=”2″ top_padding=”0″ bottom_padding=”0″ back_color=”color-wayh” back_image=”79320″ back_position=”center center” parallax=”yes” overlay_color=”color-jevc” overlay_alpha=”33″ gutter_size=”3″ column_width_percent=”100″ shift_y=”0″ z_index=”0″ row_height_use_pixel=”” row_name=”longer-version”][vc_column column_width_percent=”100″ position_vertical=”middle” align_horizontal=”align_center” gutter_size=”3″ override_padding=”yes” column_padding=”2″ style=”dark” overlay_alpha=”50″ shift_x=”0″ shift_y=”0″ medium_width=”0″ zoom_width=”0″ zoom_height=”0″ width=”1\/1″][vc_custom_heading sub_lead=”yes” sub_reduced=”yes” text_uppercase=”” subheading=”Matthias Harder” uncode_shortcode_id=”596267″]Testino \u2013 Newton \u2013 Pigozzi[\/vc_custom_heading][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_column_text text_lead=”yes”]Upon establishing his foundation in Berlin in 2003, Helmut Newton expressed his wish to provide a forum not only for his own works, but for that of other photographers as well. His wish continues to be fulfilled posthumously, now with two unique projects by two of Helmut Newton\u2019s close colleagues: Undressed<\/em> by Mario Testino and Pool Party<\/em> by Jean Pigozzi.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/2″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_single_image media=”79301″ caption=”yes” media_lightbox=”yes” media_width_percent=”100″ lbox_caption=”yes”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_column_text]Testino\u2019s site-specific installation<\/strong>, conceived exclusively for the Helmut Newton Foundation, comprises fashion and nude photos, with numerous unpublished studio portraits. As a visualization and materialization of the act of \u201cundressing,\u201d the images offer an analysis of the connections between fashion, eroticism, and anatomy, which gives us fascinating insight into Testino\u2019s archives and methodology. 50 larger-than-life portraits have been affixed directly to the walls in three of the foundation\u2019s exhibition halls, reaching into the corners of the room and up to the ceiling<\/strong>. This exceptional presentation form, which is unique to both Testino\u2019s work and the exhibition history of the Helmut Newton Foundation, literally fills the space with bodies and emotions.[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]The images depict women and men in their twenties and thirties who are often unclothed, some extensively tattooed. In other images, the model\u2019s skin is barely covered \u2013 by an overcoat, bathing suit, or underwear<\/strong>. Testino\u2019s larger-than-life models are depicted both in their entirety as well as partially; in some images, only the torso can be seen. Appearing together on walls that measure seven meters wide, they can seem like Titans. The manner in which the figures are depicted is so different from visitors\u2019 conventional point of view, that we hardly sense the immediate individual presence before us. Instead, they appear like an immense, abstract bodyscape that reveals Testino\u2019s sensual and obsessive view of the beautiful, slim bodies. The intimacy of the representations is paraphrased by the sheer size of the bodies. This experimental presentation transforms the exhibition space into a hyperspace that surrounds us like a giant walk-in magazine or pop-up book. The nudes and scantily clothed models are mostly depicted alone, and occasionally interact with one another in pairs or groups. Any underlying sensuality present in the male-female or same-sex group photos is only hinted at by Testino. Their amorous play never becomes obscene or pornographic, but remains erotic, at times intimate.[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Everything is a stage \u2013 the space within the representation as well as the space of the presentation itself. The images maintain the balance between exhibitionism and voyeurism; nevertheless, Testino makes us complicit as voyeurs, for it is only through our perception that the display of nudity becomes a representation of the nude. At the same time, the models, whom he summons before his camera to undress, reflect a highly individual selection \u2013 from supermodels such as Kate Moss and Amber Valetta to unknown, androgynous men. His studio portraits in particular reveal a lighthearted, animated mood full of laughter and playful wrestling \u2013 often in the nude, reminiscent of the Olympic Games in ancient Greece. The photographer\u2019s interest, as we see here, lies with the individual. With the camera, he observes and examines his protagonists, always at eye level, even when the models are lying on the floor. The result is a sensual dance of alluring appearances and unspoken desires.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_single_image media=”79322″ caption=”yes” media_lightbox=”yes” media_width_percent=”100″ lbox_caption=”yes”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_single_image media=”79314″ caption=”yes” media_lightbox=”yes” media_width_percent=”100″ lbox_caption=”yes”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_column_text]This is also a well-known specialty of Helmut Newton<\/strong>. For the current exhibition, a number of Newton\u2019s original prints in various formats were selected from the foundation\u2019s archive, many of which have not been previously shown. Newton\u2019s portraits of Yves Saint Laurent<\/strong>, Jeremy Irons at the Ritz Hotel in London or of Michael Gross at a swimming pool in Dortmund, and his nudes shot at an Italian wine estate and for a ballet by Jan Fabre, bring to light further aspects of his work.[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Taken over the course of five decades in the most diverse contexts, the photographs have now been combined in a completely new way that transcends genre boundaries. It becomes evident that Newton arrived at fundamentally similar aesthetic visualizations in all areas of his work, particularly in fashion, portraiture, and nude photography. Naturally, his portraits of women again constitute the central theme \u2013 including those of Pina Bausch, Sean Young, Ornella Muti, Catherine Deneuve, and Carla Bruni \u2013 and of course we also encounter interactions between men and women, a motif that can be found in much of Newton\u2019s work.[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Pushing, transgressing, and tearing-down boundaries are among the photographer\u2019s trademarks. Traditional notions of good taste are exposed and addressed with irony. We can see this, for example, when a young woman presses her buttocks against a TV screen that displays a close-up of a man\u2019s face; or when a different model balances a host of pills and other medication on her tongue with a thread of saliva visible in her open mouth. Newton\u2019s more iconic photographs are also present, but this time in a somewhat different form. A selection of making-of photos of his Big Nudes<\/em>, together with alternate versions of these famous shots are included. These are small- and medium-format prints, considerably smaller than life-sized. The first series of the larger-than-life Big Nudes<\/em> (shot in Paris in 1981) can notably be seen on permanent exhibition in the lobby of the museum. Newton combined nudity and fashion in a very subtle way, as we know from previous exhibitions and his numerous publications. His photographs thus document and comment on the shifting role of women in Western society throughout his career. This aspect applies to all of his work in its timeless elegance \u2013 and the same can be said of Mario Testino. Indeed, this shared characteristic makes the combination of works in this exhibition so unique.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_column_text]The exclusive and eccentric lives of the beautiful and rich, full of erotic and culinary debauchery, is something that Newton followed visually over the years. In doing so, he both used and questioned prevailing visual clich\u00e9s, at times tinged with self-irony or mockery, but always full of empathy. And he was not alone with this ambivalent approach. In June\u2019s Room, the foundation presents Jean Pigozzi\u2019s Pool Party<\/em><\/strong>, a series of small-format, snapshot-like images taken around Pigozzi\u2019s swimming pool in Cap d\u2019Antibes, where Helmut and June Newton, among other prominent figures, came to unwind or frolic in glamour. The world is a stage, especially here: the pool and its trappings are the backdrop, against which a play is constantly ongoing with a changing cast \u2013 featuring actual directors and actors, such as Bernardo Bertolucci and Jack Nicholson. The director of Pool Party<\/em> remains Jean Pigozzi, always armed with his small, handy Leica. Yet he is not alone while he takes his pictures, for many of his party guests \u201cshoot\u201d back with their own camera, including Helmut Newton<\/strong>. The gaze of the protagonists constantly moves back and forth between them. That the stars here are photographed in all kinds of situations reminds us of the paparazzi, who are notorious for lurking beyond the red carpet to capture particularly intimate moments. Here, however, the act of being photographed bothers no one, even though these private images were later published and exhibited.[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Jean Pigozzi, an international businessman, art collector, and a generous host, was featured with his portraits and self-portraits in the Paparazzi<\/em> exhibition<\/a> at the Helmut Newton Foundation in 2008. This earlier show included images culled mostly from Pigozzi\u2019s travels and private encounters in restaurants, on yachts, and on the sidelines of fashion shows, concerts, and film premieres. It is as if he would take us with his pictures behind the scenes to otherwise inaccessible backstage areas. For the people whom Pigozzi photographed as a friend are already known to us, not personally, but through the media.[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]In the current exhibition, we again have images of friendship that are spontaneous and private, only this time they were all taken at the same location \u2013 a kidney-shaped pool at Villa Dorane, which Ettore Sottsass built in 1953 for Pigozzi\u2019s father, Henri. A lively and cheerful atmosphere reigns, while guests and host alike are unpretentious and content. What we don\u2019t hear is the reggae music that usually accompanies the scene; what we cannot feel is the light breeze of the Mistral wind and the Mediterranean coast just a stone\u2019s throw away. Occasionally, we look with the photographer below the water\u2019s surface, glimpsing the bodies of barely dressed women and handsome male torsos. Over the decades, the pool hosted practically the entire creative jet-set and the international aristocracy, including the likes of Mick Jagger and Giovanni Agnelli, Liz Taylor, and Naomi Campbell \u2013 many of the same people that Newton also portrayed in his work during those years, albeit in a quite different manner.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_single_image media=”79318″ caption=”yes” media_lightbox=”yes” media_width_percent=”100″ lbox_caption=”yes”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/1″][vc_empty_space empty_h=”1″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row row_height_percent=”0″ back_color=”color-jevc” overlay_alpha=”50″ gutter_size=”3″ column_width_percent=”100″ shift_y=”0″ z_index=”0″][vc_column width=”1\/1″][vc_custom_heading text_color=”color-xsdn” heading_semantic=”h4″ text_size=”h4″]Related Exhibition[\/vc_custom_heading][uncode_index el_id=”index-201195″ loop=”size:3|order_by:date|order:DESC|post_type:portfolio|by_id:79119|taxonomy_count:10″ screen_lg=”1000″ screen_md=”600″ screen_sm=”480″ gutter_size=”3″ portfolio_items=”title,media|featured|onpost|original,text|excerpt” single_text=”overlay” single_overlay_color=”color-nhtu” single_overlay_coloration=”bottom_gradient” single_overlay_opacity=”50″ single_overlay_visible=”yes” single_overlay_anim=”no” single_text_visible=”yes” single_text_anim=”no” single_image_anim=”no” single_v_position=”bottom” single_padding=”2″ single_text_reduced=”yes” single_title_semantic=”h2″ single_title_dimension=”fontsize-563300″ single_title_height=”fontheight-925845″ single_title_scale_mobile=”no” single_border=”yes” uncode_shortcode_id=”168257″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" June 3 \u2013 November 19, 2017<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":79324,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"portfolio_category":[87],"class_list":["post-79350","portfolio","type-portfolio","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","portfolio_category-archive-2004-2026"],"yoast_head":"\n