A New Exhibit Proves Helmut Newton Is Still the “King of Kink”

“The point of my photography has always been to challenge myself,” the famed—and often imitated—photographer Helmut Newton once told Salon in a 1996 interview. “To go a little further than my Germanic discipline and Teutonic nature would permit me to.”

During his prolific career, Newton, who became world-renowned in the 1960s and 1970s for his provocative and sensual approach to image-making, pushed his form much further than “a little.” The artist born Helmut Neustädter created a new style of fashion photography—one which moved away from a sober report of the latest styles to a more inventive, fantastical display of artistry. In November, a new exhibition exploring Newton’s globe-trotting life and his singular work titled “Helmut Newton – Fact & Fiction” will open in A Coruña, a port city in Spain’s northwest Galicia region. Running November 18 through May 1, 2024, the show aims to highlight Newton’s legacy, as well as his personal story. Dotted throughout the exhibition are videos showing Newton at work and in conversation; personal images from his childhood; cameras and equipment; posters; and other memorabilia. Of course, materials from his wife, June Newton—a model and actress who frequently collaborated with the photographer—will also be on display.

Spearheaded by Marta Ortega Pérez, chairperson of Inditex (the parent company of Zara), “Helmut Newton – Fact & Fiction” is the third exhibition presented by the Marta Ortega Pérez Foundation following a 2021 show on Peter Lindbergh and a 2022 one on Steven Meisel—both Newton’s contemporaries. And yet, the latter artist stands in a category all his own, proving his nickname the “King of Kink” still rings true. Below, scroll through a sampling of the photographs on view at “Fact & Fiction” ahead of its opening date.