Helmut Newton Sumo

Helmut Newton (1920-2004) always showed a healthy disdain for how easy or predictable, so it is not surprising that SUMO seemed like an irresistible project. The idea of ??a book the size of a private exhibition and spectacular images printed under standards of artistic quality arose from an open and creative dialogue between the photographer and the editor. With the SUMO of more than 35 kg, which was presented in a box and packaged in heat-sealed plastic, Newton created a milestone that stood out from any other book previously published, both in terms of conceptual extravagance and technical characteristics.
Published in an edition of 10,000 signed and numbered copies, SUMO sold out shortly after its release and quickly multiplied its value. Today it is part of numerous collections around the world, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The legendary issue number one, signed by more than 100 of the personalities that appear in the book, broke the record of the most expensive book published in the twentieth century: on April 6, 2000 it was auctioned in Berlin for 620,000 German marks, around 317,000?
This XL edition now celebrates 20 years of SUMO, the result of a project conceived by Helmut Newton years ago. The volume, reviewed by June Newton, brings together 464 images and a new notebook that narrates this editorial adventure, a spectacular tribute in a new format and more accessible to the great Helmut Newton.
“All Newton’s wild and wonderful imagination concentrated in a perfect collection.”
– The Week, London