Helmut Newton, ‘Riviera’

Running until 15th February 2026, the Helmut Newton Foundation in Berlin presents a new dual exhibition: Newton, Riviera and Dialogues. Collection FOTOGRAFIS x Helmut Newton.

Newton, Riviera first premiered in the summer of 2022 at the historic Villa Sauber in Monte Carlo, co-curated by the Foundation’s director Matthias Harder and Guillaume de Sardes. For the first time, the late-life home of Helmut Newton and June Newton, and the surrounding Riviera region that inspired many of his iconic images, took centrestage. A selection from that Monte Carlo presentation is now on view in Berlin, running concurrently with Dialogues. Collection FOTOGRAFIS x Helmut Newton, continuing the Foundation’s exploration of Newton’s personal and professional style, following acclaimed exhibitions such as Hollywood (2022) and Berlin, Berlin (2024).

At the turn of 1981/82, Helmut and June Newton relocated from Paris to Monte Carlo. The move signaled not only a change in their private lives but also a dramatic shift in Newton’s photographic vision. The refined elegance of Parisian chic gave way to the Riviera’s glamorous social scene, often framed against Monaco’s stark concrete constructions. Even the modest garage of their apartment building became a stage for bold, conceptually sharp fashion stories.

Newton’s attachment to the French Riviera, however, predated this relocation. As early as 1964, he and June acquired a small stone house near Ramatuelle, close to Saint-Tropez. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, his unconventional fashion shoots spanned Cannes, Nice, and other Riviera locales, including Cap d’Antibes, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, Menton, and even across the Italian border to Bordighera. In these locations, Newton explored his signature genres, fashion, portrait, and nude, while the Riviera’s distinctive light remained central to his work. He also captured serene nocturnal seascapes from his Monaco balcony, blending intimacy and spectacle.

The Riviera’s coastline provided both dramatic and subtle backdrops for countless photographs. Newton’s final fashion shoot, a series for Vogue Italia, was also set against the Monaco coast, marking a poetic culmination of his lifelong engagement with the region. Fascinating!

An accompanying catalogue, Newton, Riviera, was published for the Monte Carlo exhibition by Gallimard, with an international edition released by Prestel. Both editions are available at the Helmut Newton Foundation bookshop and in bookstores worldwide.