Alice Springs, the widow of Helmut Newton, began her career in photography by pure accident. It all started one day in 1970, when her husband asked her to replace him during a photo shoot that he could not attend because he was bedridden. In order to shoot the advertisement for a major cigarette brand called Gitanes, Springs was obliged to quickly learn the basics of using a camera and a light meter.
Owing either to a natural talent or a wealth of knowledge acquired from watching her husband work, the photographs of Alice Spring are a hit. With her newfound career, Springs begins to do photo shoots for PR agencies that want to publicize certain stars and is later contacted by big clients for personal photo shoots.
Alice Springs, whose real name is Jude Newton, surprises everyone by capturing images that are naturally relaxed, piercing through the artificial facades put up by models and actors. In all of her portraits, Springs is able to reveal a true connection between the photographer and the subject.
Her gift for shooting stars enables her to amass a collection of shots representing a wide range of the most important celebrities of the time. In addition to shooting ads for Elle and Marie Claire, Springs also took portraits of Yves Saint-Laurent, Jean-Louis David and Karl Lagerfeld.
Now, at the Maison Européenne de la Photographie, guests staying at the Hotel Louvre Marsollier can discover this successful fashion photographer who held her own next to her world-famous husband Helmut Newton. The Maison is presenting a retrospective of Alice Springs until November 4, 2012, allowing visitors to observe the former theater actress who turned into a talented photographer. The exhibition includes portraits, ads, fashion photography and nudes, all shot over a period of 40 years.
