In the early 1980s, Helmut Newton (then in his sixties) decided that he had had enough of travelling the world doing fashion photoshoots for the likes of Vogue and Harpers.
He wanted to move on to new original work, so he decided to produce a series of exhibitions in London, Paris and New York that showcased what he considered to be his most provocative and important work to date.
“Private Property” was originally a three-part portfolio containing 45 black-and-white photographs. It includes Newton’s best work from the period 1972-1983, an exquisite assortment of fashion shots, portraits, and erotic motifs which are all based on real locations and luxurious life styles.
These were titled the “Private Property” exhibitions.
These include numerous images that have become icons – Elsa Peretti in a ‘Bunny’ Costume by Halston, Woman into Man, Rue Aubriot, Tied-Up Torso, Self-Portrait with Wife and Models, and Woman Examining Man, to name but a few.
Though Newton was enjoying considerable professional success at the time “Private Property” was published, the market was not yet responding as it does today to the work of the great photographers. Newton’s print market was in its infancy, so he hired an agent in the USA to help him drum up some interest in the portfolio. That man was Norman Solomon.
In 1984, Newton gifted to Solomon a collection of unsigned prints from the “Private Property” portfolio that he had produced from a series of transparencies, as a thank you for his efforts in promoting the portfolio to the American market. The ownership rights of these prints are supported by the original agreement with Newton, and further supplemented by an agreement with The Helmut Newton Foundation in 2012.
Solomon has stored these prints in conservation condition, and now in his late sixties, they are being offered for sale exclusively through ONGallery. All purchased prints are offered with a Certificate of Authenticity (signed by Norman Solomon) that state the provenance of the prints.