Nastassja Kinski, Los Angeles, 1983

Known as "prolific and widely-imitated", German-Australian photographer Helmut Newton was a central figure of major publications. He began photography in 1936 as an apprentice to artist Elsie Simon. She would inspire him throughout his long career. After being hired by Australian Vogue in the 1950s, he went on to work for British Vogue and French Vogue. Helmut Newton also contributed to Playboy, Marie Claire, Queen, Elle, and countless other magazines. Newton began to photograph blatantly sexual images, after a heart attack in 1971. They included moments of voyeurism and lesbianism which made feminists outraged. Over the years, Helmut Newton's work focused on fashion, portraits, and nudes. His first solo exhibition was in Paris in 1975. The following year, he published his first book, "White Women." Helmut Newton continued to work and published a series of books, as well as solo exhibitions. Shortly before his death, Newton donated about one thousand of his works to his homeland of Germany. (Artist website)