Book Description
Helmut Newton: One-off is an exceptionally rare and powerful photography publication that faithfully reproduces a unique photographic album personally compiled by fashion photography master Helmut Newton. Featuring a wealth of iconic works alongside numerous previously unpublished images, this book is a key volume for understanding Newton’s creative universe.
A German-born Australian photographer, Helmut Newton was deeply influenced by Expressionist cinema, film noir, and surrealism. Renowned for his bold, provocative, and highly charged imagery, his work not only challenged the conventions of fashion photography but also profoundly shaped the development of modern photography and visual culture. Moving fluidly between the human body, fashion, and symbols of power, Newton’s visual language continues to inspire generations of creatives.
In 1999, Newton collaborated with his close friend and important collector Gert Elfering to assemble a private photographic album titled One-off, bringing together some of his most experimental and boundary-pushing works. Helmut Newton: One-off meticulously reproduces this album in its original size, produced to the highest standards, allowing readers to experience at close range a legendary object that was once accessible only to a select few, while gaining insight into Newton’s creative thinking and hands-on process.
The book includes more than 100 photographs, comprising 8 unique Polaroids, 16 chromogenic prints, and 79 gelatin silver prints. Each image retains Helmut Newton’s original handwritten pencil annotations, offering a direct glimpse into his immediate thoughts on composition, lighting, and emotional tension, and making the volume an invaluable resource for both research and collectors.
In addition to the complete reproduction of the album, the book features a foreword by photography specialist and Vice President of the Helmut Newton Foundation, Philippe Garner, as well as an in-depth conversation between Foundation Director Matthias Harder and Gert Elfering. Together, these texts illuminate Newton’s creative spirit and visual language from multiple perspectives, spanning artistic intent, historical context, and collecting practice.
More than a photography monograph, Helmut Newton: One-off serves as a gateway into the core of a master’s creative world. It is an essential publication for those interested in photography, fashion, visual culture, and art book collecting.
Author: Helmut Newton (Artist), Gert Elfering (Contributor), Nicola Erni (Contributor), Philippe Garner (Introduction)
Publisher: Phaidon Press
Publication Year: 2026
Format: Hardcover
Size: 34 × 26 cm
Pages: 144 pages