HELMUT NEWTON (Germany, 1920- California, 2004). "Shoe, Monte Carlo, 1983. Gelatin silver. Later print. Signed, titled, dated in pencil and copyright credit stamp on verso. No edition number. Provenance: McCord Collection, New York. Measurements: 36 x 24.6 cm (image); 40 x 31 cm (paper). An ankle subtly cocked and shod in a high heeled shoe occupies the entire photographic plane in this iconic image by Helmut Newton. As a place associated with glamour and luxury, Monte Carlo provides a perfect backdrop for Newton's exploration of fashion and eroticism. The fetishism of high heels and female ankles are explored by the artist in different contexts. In all of them, through daring and carefully crafted compositions, he redefines the parameters of fashion photography and eroticism, the role of women and power relations. Provocation, anti-voyeurism and female empowerment are often attributes of her photos. Newton was born in Berlin, attended the Heinrich-von-Treitschke-Realgymnasium and the American School in Berlin. Interested in photography from the age of 12 when he bought his first camera, he worked for German photographer Yva (Elsie Neuländer Simon) from 1936.The increasingly oppressive restrictions imposed on Jews by the Nuremberg laws caused his father to lose control of the factory; he was briefly interned in a concentration camp on Kristallnacht, , which eventually forced the family to leave Germany. Newton's parents fled to Argentina. Finally, arriving in Singapore, he found he could remain there, first briefly as a photographer for the Straits Times and then as a portrait photographer. Newton was interned by British authorities while in Singapore and was sent to Australia aboard the Queen Mary, arriving in Sydney on September 27, 1940. He was released from internment in 1942 and worked briefly as a fruit picker in northern Victoria. In April 1942, he enlisted in the Australian Army and worked as a truck driver. After the war in 1945, he became a British subject and changed his name to Newton in 1946. That same year, Newton set up a studio on Flinders Lane in Melbourne and worked in fashion, theater and industrial photography during the postwar period. He shared his first joint exhibition in May 1953 with Wolfgang Sievers,The 'New Visions in Photography' exhibition was shown at the Federal Hotel in Collins Street and was probably the first glimpse of New Objectivity photography in Australia. Newton became associated with Henry Talbot, a German Jew who had also interned at Tatura, and his association with the studio continued even after 1957, when he left Australia for London. The studio was renamed 'Helmut Newton and Henry Talbot'. Newton's growing reputation as a fashion photographer was rewarded when he secured a commission to illustrate fashions in a special Australian supplement for Vogue magazine, published in January 1956. He won a 12-month contract with British Vogue and left for London in February 1957, leaving Talbot to manage the business. Newton left the magazine before the end of his contract and went to Paris, where he worked for French and German magazines. He returned to Melbourne in March 1959 to work with Australian Vogue. Newton and his wife finally settled in Paris in 1961. His images appeared in magazines such as the French edition of Vogue and Harper's Bazaar. He established a particular style marked by erotic and stylized scenes, often with fetishistic subtexts. In 1980 he created the "Big Nudes" series. His "Nude and Clothed" portfolio followed, and in 1992 "Domestic Nudes," which marked the pinnacle of his erotic-urban style, all of these series supported the dexterity of his technical skills. Newton also worked on more fantastical portraits and studies. He did a series of illustrations for Playboy, including illustrations of Nastassja Kinski and Kristine DeBell.