Alice Springs & Helmut Newton

Two gazes, one life together.

For the first time in Italy, photographs by Alice Springs, the professional name of June Newton, are shown in dialogue with those of her husband, Helmut Newton. Produced by Civita Mostre e Musei in collaboration with the Helmut Newton Foundation, the exhibition brings together two leading figures of twentieth-century photography, united by a shared life yet distinct in sensibility and visual language.

An actress and painter, Alice Springs came to photography almost by chance in 1970, when she replaced her husband, bedridden with flu, on a commercial assignment in Paris. It was the start of an independent career with Vogue, Vanity Fair, Elle and Marie Claire, spanning portraiture, nudes and fashion. Newton built theatrical, provocative images; Springs sought closeness, simplicity and the truth of her sitters. In 1999 Newton himself said he saw “truth and simplicity” in his wife’s portraits, and “manipulation” in his own.

The exhibition route

Conceived and developed by Matthias Harder, Director of the Helmut Newton Foundation, the exhibition unfolds through thematic pairings and direct comparisons between the work of the two photographers.

1. Alice Springs’ portraits
   The heart of the exhibition: a direct approach that captures the intimacy of her sitters. From Richard Avedon, Jacques-Henri Lartigue and Robert Mapplethorpe to Anjelica Huston, Isabelle Adjani and Claude Chabrol.
2. Nudes and fashion
   The other two areas of her work, alongside the theatrical, provocative images with which Newton transformed fashion photography.
3. Parallel portraits
   The same faces seen by both: Jane Birkin, Robert Mapplethorpe, Yves Saint Laurent, Catherine Deneuve. Two sensibilities, two distinct visual identities.
4. Us and Them
   The photographic diary of their life together: Alice portrays Helmut behind the scenes, while Helmut turns June and their home into a stage.