SAMANTHA WILLS [NOTES FROM NY]: SPOTLIGHT ON: HELMUT NEWTON

“THE CHATEAU STANDS FOR ALL THE FABLES OF EXOTIC HOLLYWOOD. ROMANTIC PASSION IS NO STRANGER; NOR IS THE MEDICINAL DOSE OF SCANDAL. LIBERATED FROM WHAT ONE IS TEMPTED TO CALL THE REALITIES OF THE WORLD OUTSIDE, EMBOLDENED BY THE TRADITION OF PRIVACY AND DISCRETION, LIFE TAKES ON MORE THAN ONE ELEMENT OF THEATRE.” – ANDRE BALAZS

CURRENTLY IMMERSING MYSELF IN ALL THINGS CHATEAU MARMONT AS RESEARCH FOR AN UPCOMING COLLECTION, FAMOUS GERMAN-AUSTRALIAN PHOTOGRAPHER, HELMUT NEWTON, (OCTOBER 31, 1920, – JANUARY 23, 2004 ) WORK IS CONTINUALLY POPPING UP IN MY STUDING OF THE ARCHIVES. I HAVE JUST ORDERED A COPY OF HIS FAMOUS BOOK ‘HELMUT NEWTON – SUMO’, WHICH FEATURES HIS WELL KNOWN SERIES OF ‘DOMESTIC NUDES’. A SERIES HE SHOT AT THE CHATEAU, IN THE KITCHEN OF HIS BUNGALOW, THE LAUNDRY ROOM OF THE HOTEL OR, AS THE TITLE SUGGESTS, JUST GENERAL PLACES AROUND THE HOTEL HE CALLED ‘HOME’ AT THE TIME. HIS URBAN-EROTIC STYLE IS SEEN THROUGHOUT HIS WORK. I LOOK AT HIS WORK SOMETIMES & SEE IT BEAUTIFUL, ELEGANT & RAW, BUT CAN THEN LOOK AT THE SAME PICTURE AGAIN & SEE IT IN A VERY HARSH, AGGRESSIVE WAY. I DO LOVE THE ‘DOMESTIC NUDE SERIES’ HOWEVER MORE FOR ITS LOCATION OF OBSCURITY IN A HOTEL WHERE SO MANY MORE GLAMOROUS, ICONIC OPTIONS WERE AVAILABLE. ONE OF MY FAVORITES IS THE LAUNDRY ROOM SHOTS – TO ME, THIS KIND OF CHOICE OF LOCATION EPITOMIZES MY LOVE FOR THE CHATEAU MARMONT. WHEN YOU ARE THERE, THE MARMONT IS YOUR OYSTER, THERE IS AN UNWRITTEN KNOWLEDGE OF WHATEVER HAPPENS IN THE MARMONT, STAYS IN THE MARMONT. THE POOL TEMPERATURE CHANGES TEMPERATURE AT A CERTAIN TIME TO ENCOURAGE MIDNIGHT RENDEZVOUS’. CULTURAL WRITER DESCRIBE THE CHATEAU ACCURATELY IN IT ‘IS AN ARTIFICIAL WORLD THAT LIVES BY ITS OWN RULES, ITS OWN FASHION, ITS OWN RHYTHM.’ IT HAS COME TO EMBODY WHAT THE ‘ARTIST’S COMMUNE’ THINKS AN HOTEL SHOULD BE. FOR THE CHATEAU MARMONT IS AND ALWAYS HAS BEEN THE HAVEN FOR ARTISTS, WRITERS, MUSICIANS, ACTORS, DIRECTORS....THERE IS NO HOTEL LIKE IT IN THE WORLD, AND THERE IS NO WORLD LIKE IT IN ANY HOTEL.” NEWTON WAS A PHOTOGRAPHER THAT WAS NOT AFRAID OF MAKING STATEMENTS. HE IS EXTREMELY PROMINENT IN MY RESEARCH, EVEN GIVEN HIS PLACE OF DEATH, NEWTON WAS KILLED WHEN HIS CAR HIT A WALL IN THE DRIVEWAY OF THE FAMOUS CHATEAU MARMONT.

“IF YOU MUST GET INTO TROUBLE, DO IT AT THE CHATEAU MARMONT,” (LEGENDARY STUDIO BOSS) HARRY COHN