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Art

Saul Leiter. David Lynch. Helmut Newton: Nudes

The show starts with 80 monochromatic large format (or even larger than life) works by Helmut Newton, but David Lynch and even more so Saul Leiter are the real reasons to visit this collection of nudes. Through May 19.

Image for Saul Leiter. David Lynch. Helmut Newton: Nudes

Saul Leiter Foundation

The show starts with 80 monochromatic large format (or even larger than life) works by Helmut Newton, depicting what he has been famous for since the 1970s: red lipstick, leather, and lascivious-looking and provocative naked women; a backdrop of a city’s skyline. Despite claiming to show “unseen work” – really, there is nothing new here. Next up in the exhibition is filmmaker David Lynch, who quietly and poetically shows the female body with abstract close-ups. Shot in Lodz and Los Angeles during the 1990s and 2000s, his filmic play of shadow, light and smoke is well-trained – still, one secretly wishes he would stick to film. Then comes the best part of the show: better known for his fashion and colourful street photography in the 1940s, Saul Leiter’s nude work has been, until now, mostly unseen. Quiet and intimate, mainly shot (and developed) in his New York apartment – this is an absolute celebration of the (female) body. Beautiful and delicate, the nakedness disappears; highlights are his “painted nudes”: photographs he painted over, only revealing parts of the image. So: skip Newton, whiz through Lynch and spend time with Saul Leiter!

Through May 19