Helmut Newton at the Grand Palais
Now that classes are over, I finally have time to see some of the many exhibitions on display in Paris right now. Yesterday I decided to use my free afternoon to see Helmut Newton at the Grand Palais. A big influence on the development of fashion photography and someone whose work I personally find very inspiring, this was an exhibition I had been looking forward to seeing. Unfortunately, the experience wasn’t quite what I had hoped it would be. After waiting in line for nearly 40 minutes, I found myself in an exhibition space so filled with people that it was impossible to appreciate (or even really see) most of the photographs. Having said that, if you were to take all of the people out of the room, it would have been a really outstanding show. It was filled with many photographs that I had never seen before. Even some of his better-known images were printed so big (life size and in some cases even bigger) and presented in such a way that it was like seeing them for the first time. This exhibition really reinforced the idea that a good photo is meant to be printed and displayed on wall. It’s not meant to exist as an image on a screen. How the work is displayed within a space can have an enormous impact on the overall effect. And, here, the curator did a wonderful job. Everyone should see this exhibition but try to go early or late (it is open until 10pm) to avoid the crowds.
Helmut Newton is showing at the Grand Palais until June 17
Avenue Winston Churchill 75008
Open everyday except Tuesday, from 10am-10pm
Photos by Kaitlin Rebesco
