Helmut Newton & Alice Springs: 'us and them'

This exhibition shows the work of two photographers: one who has dedicated his whole life to photography, the other who has been an actress and a painter before she has taken up the camera seriously if somewhat sporadically. These two people have lived together for fifty years, have collaborated closely on exhibitions and book publishing but neither is usually present at the other's photographic sittings.

What to me is the interesting aspect of this exhibition is the fact that neither one has in any way influenced the other's way of approaching their subjects. I can see the truth and simplicity in the portraits of Alice Springs. As for myself, I recognise the manipulation and editorialising in my photographs.


Portraits

These personalities were photographed by Helmut Newton and Alice Springs at different dates, for different reasons and were never meant to be exhibited together.

They are shown here for the first time.

Helmut Newton


Alice Springs

Alice Springs is the pseudonym of June Browne who became Mrs Helmut Newton in 1948. She was born in 1923 in Melbourne and worked as a professional actress in Australia, where Helmut Newton photographed her at several occasions. She continued her career as an actress after they married and during their first years in Paris. Alice Springs is elf-taught, her professional photographic career began in 1970 when he took on one of Newton's assignments, because illness made him unable to fulfill it. At this occasion she assumed the name of Alice Springs after the Autralian town.

Alice Springs worked solely with fashion and publicity photographs until 1976. At that time he decided to concentrate on portraiture. Her first pictures were of her immediate circle of close friends, but soon portrait assignment were commisioned by magazines and journals.

Technically she always tries to make things as simple as possible. She prefers to photograph her sitters in their own environment and whereever possible she uses only whatever light is avaible 'on site'. Backgrounds are chosen to frame their subjects but not to obtrude on the composition.


Helmut Newton

Helmut Newton was born in 1920 in Berlin, but left Germany in 1938 and settled in Singapore. He served the Australian army from 1940-45. In 1948 he married the actress June Brunell (Browne). After seventeen years, they left Australia and settled in Paris, as Newton had received a contract with Vogue. A serious heart attack in 1970 had two profound effects on his work. First, he became more selective, undertaking only those commisions in which he felt he could reach, and even extend, the limits of what was considered publishable.

Helmut Newton's photography i not concerned with picturing everyday reality. His controversial fashion and portrait photographs have established his worldwide reputation because they have the ability to provoke and stimulate the viewer's reaction. This is especially present in those pictures which contain an implicit narrative underneath their surface. But is also found in his pictures of Hollywood tars who are seen posing more or les in honor of the photographer, and in his pairings and individual portraits, where the psychological interaction between the photographed and the photographer is a crucial matter.