Helmut Newton's SUMO (Hardcover)

by Helmut Newton (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Bringing an entirely new slant to the concept of the coffee-table book, SUMO is a suitably enormous homage to 79-year-old Helmut Newton, the master of subversive and erotic photography. "I wanted to build a monument to the most important photographer of the 20th century," comments Benedikt Taschen, the publisher behind SUMO. He delivers. Weighing over 65 pounds, measuring more than two feet long, and breaking any previous size record in book publishing, SUMO contains 480 pages of every aspect of Newton's outstanding career in photography. Each copy of the book is bound by hand and numbered and signed by the artist. In order to showcase this colossus, the book is packaged with its own stand designed by Philippe Starck.

This outsized volume contains the body of Newton's controversial yet iconographic work, documenting fashion, fetishism, and above all an overriding obsession with voyeurism that can make the viewer feel complicit or uneasy by turns. Newton himself describes SUMO as "terrifying and outrageous. I don't even look at it as a book.... I look at it as an object." --Catherine Taylor, Amazon.co.uk

Product Description
This is the biggest and most expensive book production in the 20th century. It is the limited edition of 10,000 copies worldwide, each signed and numbered by Helmut Newton! "SUMO" is a titanic book in every respect: it is a tribute to the twentieth century's most influential, intriguing and controversial photographer. Measuring 50 X 70 cm (20 X 27.5 inches) and weighing approx. 30 kg (66 lb.), the book contains 464 pages, breaking any previous record. "SUMO" is a truly unique publication. "SUMO", edited by June Newton, features a wide selection of over 400 pictures, most of which are published for the first time, covering every aspect of Newton's outstanding career in photography: from his stunning fashion photographs, which pointed the way for generations of photographers, to his nudes and celebrity portraits. In defiance of the much-loved Japanese discipline that inspired the title of this colossal work, there is no need for it's proud owner to wrestle with "SUMO". Philippe Starck has designed a unique device for displaying the book at home. "SUMO" is available to all Newton fans and photo devotees in a limited edition of 10,000 copies, all numbered and signed by the artist.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 480 pages
• Publisher: Taschen; includes stand, 1st edition (January 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 3822863947
• ISBN-13: 978-3822863947
• Product Dimensions: 47.2 x 31.5 x 5.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 76.5 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,910,832 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars a Monolith, April 21, 2003

By A Customer

Well, as everyone else says, there's no other book like it. I had a look at a copy in an art photography store and thought it was ok, but would I pay two grand for it? Nah, I don't think so. Admittedly, the cover shot from the series 'Big Nudes' is impressive when you first see it, but these pictures were never meant to be printed at this size. Newton shoots fast and produces grainy photographs; at this size the pictures start losing clarity because of the extreme grainyness. There are also slight scratches and imperfections on some of the negatives, which at a normal size are miniscule, but here the tiniest scratch is blown up into a great white worm crawling over the page.

Don't get me wrong, Newton is one of the great lensmen of recent decades. The work displayed here is of itself, brilliant. Even so, you could save yourself a packet and buy a quality 'normal' book of his work, where the pictures can be appreciated more easily. This book's merit lies in it being an art object in it's own right. If you actually want to savour and enjoy Newton's work, give it a miss.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A work of art....., December 16, 2003

By A Customer

This book is by far a conversation piece....I have had company that spends hours turning the pages. Even after having the book for several months, I flip through it and see photos I don't recall seeing the first time. I absolutely love this book and would highly recommend it to everyone. According to the folks at the Taschen bookstore in Beverly Hills, CA, there are fewer than 100 books left out of the 10,000 printed.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Centerpiece of my Apartment, December 14, 2000

By A Customer

Having just received my copy of Helmut Newton's SUMO all I can say is AMAZING. This is not just a book, but a work of art. As a bibliophile I felt I had to have what I believe is the most important book published this century...and I was not let down. The reproduction in the book is as good as I've seen and the book and stand make a beautiful addition to my apartment...a coffee table book with it's own coffee table....fabulous.