Spurred by the astonishing success of the Christie's Constantiner sale in New York, December 2008, Hamiltons presented HELMUT NEWTON. The Christie's sale, which included the largest selection of Newtons ever sold at auction, fetched a world record price of $662,500 for his photograph Sie Kommen.
"The superb results achieved for this collection demonstrate the potential of works bought with true passion and considerable connoisseurship to perform magnificently even in the present uncertain economic climate. The results also confirm the central position that Helmut Newton has rightly been accorded as a master photographer of the 20th century…", Philippe Garner, International Head of Photographs, Christie's.
Newton came to prominence in the seventies for his trademark balance between sophistication and style, coupled with his sharp social observation and provocative eroticism. This exhibition presented a selective survey of the photographer's rich career, contrasting some of his most iconic images alongside those lesser known, large format alongside small, and black and white alongside colour. Among the highlights were Woman Examining Man, Saint Tropez, 1975 and Catherine Deneuve, Paris, 1983.