Dear Shaded Viewers,
The new issue of Vogue Italia, hit newstands on 6 October, celebrating a hundred years since the birth of Helmut Newton. The collectible issue includes a selection of the master photographer’s most iconic images, as well as a host of testimonials from those who knew him. The October issue is produced in collaboration with the Helmut Newton Foundation in Berlin.
“This issue offers an opportunity to reflect upon questions that Helmut Newton’s work continues to raise, and which are as relevant today as they were back then,” writes Emanuele Farneti, Editor-in-Chief of Vogue Italia in his editorial. “Where does the homage to feminine beauty end and the objectification begin? If they are depicted from an explicitly masculine perspective, do women necessarily become passive, or can they instead take control of the men who observe them? Is nudity still acceptable in photography, and if so, under what conditions? And what about sex, both in art and in fashion?”
To answer these questions, Vogue Italia called upon not only contemporary photographers – who, under the creative direction of Vogue Italia, illustrate places, faces and obsessions from Newton’s life in order to shed light on the complexity of his character – but also critics, muses, writers, directors, curators, publishers, gallery owners, friends and foes.
Among the well-known names are his muses Monica Bellucci, Charlotte Rampling, Eva Herzigova and Clara Saint; Carla Sozzani, fashion designer Christian Louboutin and publisher Benedikt Taschen. Vanessa Beecroft, fresh from a recent exhibition at the Helmut Newton Foundation, shoots a feature inspired by Newton for Vogue Italia. This special issue was produced in collaboration with Matthias Harder, director of the Helmut Newton Foundation in Berlin, and Tiggy Maconochie of the Helmut Newton Estate.
Telling Helmut Newton’s life story raises some topical questions on issues such as the objectification of the female body, diversity, decency, morality, censure, freedom, irony, good and bad taste, making for a magazine that is overflowing with reflections and marked by a notable presence/absence of June, the wife of the great photographer, whose gaze always enriched and completed him.
The cover features pop star Justin Bieber and his wife, supermodel Hailey Baldwin. They posed for Vogue Italia to mark their anniversary, laying bare their relationship and their sexuality in a series of shots that pay homage to the great love between Newton and his wife June, as evidenced by the photographer’s quote on the cover: “My heart is where my wife is”.
Vogue Italia’s social media profiles have garnered 8.4 million total fan followers, up 20% YOY. The publication’s website boasts an impressive 3.9 million users.
