Thursday 25 March 2010

Helmut Newton's Berlin

We were lucky enough to get in free to the Helmut Newton exhibition as they were closing up when we arrived, I would have liked longer to absorb the vast array of images however such as pull between partying and culture, it wasn't possible. Upon entering you are greeted with walls full of iconic images from the permanent display - Private Property. It held my attention for too long as I unfortunately didn't leave the two rooms scanning the familiar images hung on white - large format they jumped out at me. I clocked the celebrities, models and images I had referenced for numerous projects, and relived the energy I felt when I was a Newton virgin. I can't express how much the works ignited my desire for fashion and photography all those moons ago - marrying the two in a celebration of the female form. Erotic, sexy and powerful, his work engages the very essence of what it means to be a woman. Amazonian ladies stand tall and nonchalant gazing down upon you, smoking dandies, female on female, fun and fantasy, this is a world I would love to be part of, sheer glamour...



You can check out his work in a coffee table book which will set you back one hundred smackers, or pop along to his gallery when you're next in Berlin. There is an excellent book shop attached with a vast array of books to pour over and cheeky postcards to purchase. The area the gallery can be found is Zoologischer Garten, which plays home to a healthy array of museums and places of interest, including you guessed it, a zoo.

It's worth noting that on Thursdays the Newton Museum is late night opening 6-10pm which is free to enter.

There is also a Helmut Newton Bar, which will have to wait until next time.