The "Zoo" area of Berlin is known for a few things – of course, the infamous Bahnhof Zoo train station which was the key location in cult classic Christiane F; the Zoological Garden, home to over 1,300 animals; and the Helmut Newton Foundation, founded in 2003 by the photographer himself (he died only a year later). The Foundation is located in a former Prussian officer’s casino called Landwehrkasino, in the Charlottenburg district of Berlin. The dining room in the building was one of Newton's last memories of his hometown – he was forced to leave in 1938, aged 18, due to his family being Jewish. He lived in Singapore, Australia, London and Paris before settling in L.A, the city where he tragically died in 2004, after crashing his car into a wall of the driveway at the notorious Chateau Marmont.
The aim of the Foundation is the conservation, protection and presentation of the photographic oeuvre of Helmut Newton and his wife June. June Newton, who worked from 1970 onwards under the name of Alice Springs, was a prominent portraitist in her own right. Visitors can easily lose hours at the Foundation, exploring Newton's rich body of work, alongside his personal belongings including faxes, passports, props and personal clothing.
Here, AnOther speaks to Matthias Harder, chief curator at the Helmut Newton Foundation in Berlin since 2004, about the story behind the Foundation and his dealings with the legendary photographer.
How and when did you join the Foundation?
I became the Foundation’s curator in spring 2004. I met Helmut and June Newton through a common friend in Berlin in December 2003. Helmut told me about his Foundation which was supposed to be opened in summer 2004 – and at the end of our meeting he asked me if I would like to take over the curator’s position. Of course, I said yes. But I was the director of a Kunstverein nearby Hamburg by then. Therefore, I had to quit this job before I could take on this new challenge.
What is your background?
I studied art history and specialised with a PhD in photo history. After that I curated exhibitions in many cities and countries, edited monographic books and wrote essays on different aspects within the field of photography. I also taught photography when I met Helmut Newton – and I have been doing this until today.