Helmut Newton (1920-2004) always showed a healthy disdain for the easy or predictable, so it's no surprise that the SUMO was an irresistible project. The idea of a book the size of a private exhibition, with spectacular images reproduced to state-of-the-art origination and printing standards, emerged from an open, experimental dialogue between photographer and publisher. With the SUMO weighing in-boxed and shrink-wrapped-at 35.4 kg (just under 80 pounds), Newton created a landmark book that stood head and shoulders above anything previously attempted, both in terms of conceptual extravagance and technical specifications. Published in an edition of 10,000 signed and numbered copies, the SUMO sold out soon after publication and quickly multiplied its value. It now features in numerous collections around the world, including New York's Museum of Modern Art. The legendary copy number one, signed by more than 100 of the book's featured celebrities, broke the record for the most expensive book published in the 20th century, sold at an auction in Berlin on April 6, 2000 for 620,000 German marks-about 317,000 euros. Now, this XL edition celebrates 20 years of SUMO, the result of a project conceived by Helmut Newton some years ago. Revised by his wife June, the volume gathers 464 images and a new booklet that takes us through the making-of this publishing venture-a spectacular tribute to the larger-than-life Helmut Newton, now in a friendly format. Images (c) The Helmut Newton Estate / Maconochie Photography

Virtually unparalleled in scope and spanning more than five decades, the photography of visionary Helmut Newton (1920-2004) reached millions through publication in magazines like Vogue and Elle. His oeuvre transcended genres, bringing elegance, style, and voyeurism to fashion, portrait, and glamour photography through a body of work that remains as inimitable as it is unrivaled. Having mastered the art of fashion photography early in his career, Newton's shoots invariably went beyond standard practice, blurring the lines between reality and illusion. Newton's clear aesthetic pervades all areas of his work, particularly fashion, portraiture, and nude photography. Women take center stage - with subjects such as Catherine Deneuve, Liz Taylor, and Charlotte Rampling. Moving beyond traditional narrative approaches, Newton's fashion photography is imbued not only with luxurious elegance and subtle seduction, but also cultural references and a surprising sense of humor. During the 1990s, Newton shot for the German, American, Italian, French, and Russian editions of Vogue, primarily in and around Monte Carlo where he was living from 1981 onwards. Transforming locations like his own garage into starkly contrasting or particularly minimalist theatrical stages, Newton would often portray the eccentric lives of the beautiful and rich, full of eroticism and elegance, in unconventional scenarios. He made use of and simultaneously questioned visual cliches, at times tinged with self-irony or mockery, but always full of empathy. Helmut Newton. Legacy, which accompanies an international exhibition tour of Newton's work, showcases highlights from one of the most published bodies of work in photography, including numerous rediscovered images. A prolific image maker and genuine visionary, this book celebrates Newton's lasting influence on modern photography and visual art to this day.

Polaroids occupy a special place in the hearts of many photo enthusiasts who remember a time when "instant photography" meant one-of-a-kind prints that developed within minutes of clicking the shutter. What was once a crucial tool for photographers to test their shots before shooting on film has now become obsolete in the face of digital photography. Luckily for us, legendary photographer Helmut Newton saved his test Polaroids, allowing a privileged and rare chance to see the tests from a selection of his greatest shoots over a period of decades, including many from the TASCHEN titles SUMO, A Gun for Hire, and Work. Selected by his widow, June Newton, from over 300 photos featured at the 2011 exhibition "Helmut Newton Polaroids" at the Museum fur Fotografie in Berlin, this collection captures the magic of Helmut Newton photo shoots as only Polaroids can.

Audacious and controversial, Helmut Newton raised the nude photograph to an art form. Born in Berlin in 1920, Newton has specialized in photographing women, giving them a uniquely stylized and glossy look. This program shows him at work, talking about his life and features several of his famous subjects discussing working with him.

Helmut Newton was in his sixties and already a well-established photographer when he and his wife moved to the French Riviera. At an age when many people would consider retirement, Newton instead plunged headfirst into one of the most prolific and liberating stages of his career. The city of Monaco was the perfect backdrop for his fashion photography, and it also provided him with a wealth of subjects for his famous portraits, including the stars of the Ballet de Monte-Carlo and the Princely Family. And it was in Monaco that Newton finally tried his hand at landscapes. While this volume focuses primarily on the years 1981 to 2004, it also looks at Newton's historic links with the Cote d'Azur and the area around Bordighera, Italy. There are essays by a range of experts in photography, film, and art and three interviews, including one with Paloma Picasso. In these remarkable photographs readers will discover the French Riviera through Newton's fascinated, slightly ironic lens: a way of life characterized by ease and elegance; a world dominated by appearance and superficiality; and a veritable living theater, in which he was both actor and privileged member of the audience.

Newton's collection of portraits from the worlds of film, fashion, politics, and culture can be considered a pantheon of VIPs. But his work is a lot more besides. From his portraits, one can see that he would have most liked to be a Roman paparazzo--as he once admitted. Anyone who had a portrait made by him knew what the result would by, and by the 1980s there were absolutely no 'beautiful people' in this world who did not want to be photographed by him! In front of his camera, both men and women peeled off their covers--literally as well as figuratively. His brilliant staged creations celebrate the attractiveness and prominence of his models as well as their vanity and imperfections. Newton's top-quality work for major fashion journals and elitist art magazines is likewise first-class erotic art. This collection was first published by us in 1985.