03 Works, The Art Of The Nude, Helmut Newton's Lisa Lyons in Paris III, Lisa Lyon in Paris IV, Lisa Lyon in her Studio, with footnotes # 58

Helmut Newton, Australian/German, 1920–2004
Lisa Lyon in her Studio, Venice, California, 1981
Gelatin silver print
22.38 x 14.94 in. (56.85 x 37.95 cm.)
Private collection

Lisa Lyon (born 1953) is a female bodybuilder and photo model from the United States, and is regarded as one of female bodybuilding's pioneers.

Born in Los Angeles, California in 1953. Lisa Lyon studied art at the University of California at Los Angeles. There she became accomplished in the Japanese art of fencing, kendo, but found herself lacking sufficient upper body strength so she began weight training. This eventually led her into bodybuilding.

Lyon modeled for Helmut Newton, American fine art photographer Robert Mapplethorpe (resulting in the 1983 book Lady: Lisa Lyon), and Marcus Leatherdale, who published two pictures of her in his first catalogue book at Molotov. Lyon's work with Mapplethorpe was specifically impressive due to Mapplethorpe's ability to portray her body as masculine and feminine in his photos, which shows how her body was truly one of a kind.

She was inducted into the IFBB Hall of Fame in 2000 for being a one-woman media-relations activist on behalf of the sport and Elevating bodybuilding to the level of fine art.

Lisa Lyon also had a short acting career.

In creating the Marvel Comics character Elektra, Frank Miller initially used Lyon as a basis for the character's appearance. More on Lisa Lyon 

Helmut Newton
Lisa Lyons in Paris III, c. 1980
Gelatin silver print
20 × 18 in | 50.8 × 45.7 cm
Private collection

Estimated for US$30,000 in September 2023

Helmut Newton (Australian/German, 1920–2004) Title:
Lisa Lyon in Paris IV, c. 1980
Gelatin silver print
36.7 x 35.5 cm. (14.4 x 14 in.)
Private collection

Helmut Newton was born on October 31, 1920, in Berlin, Germany. He attended the American School in Berlin. From an early age, Newton developed a keen obsession with photography, purchasing his very first camera aged 12. Four years later, Newton was to turn his back on mainstream education, taking an apprenticeship with renowned German photographer, Elsle Simon, known as Yva. Her surreal, multiple exposure photographs that took in fashion, theater and the nude were to inspire Newton throughout his career.

On November 9, 1938, Newton, secured passage to China, where he stopped in Singapore until 1940 before leaving to Australia and finding work as a truck driver in the Australian Army.

In 1948, he married actress June Browne, herself a photographer under the name of Alice Springs, a name she chose from a map of Australia. High-profile contracts with Australian Vogue in the 1950’s; British Vogue in 1957-1958; French Vogue in 1961 provided Newton with the exposure that would allow him to stamp his style on fashion photography over the next 40 years.

Known as the ‘King of Kink’, Newton’s erotically charged imagery was provocative as it was masterful in its compositional and narrative direction. Creating highly charged images layered with voyeuristic, sado-masochist undertexts, Newton was drawn to empowered woman presenting a potent image of female sexuality in the 60’s and 70’s. 

Newton died, aged 83, in 2004 following a major car accident in Los Angeles. More on Helmut Newton




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