Helmut Newton made cars look as good as models. Now his work will be exhibited at a prestigious Italian automotive festival

A woman stood in an open-top red car posing. — Helmut Newton, Madeleine de Rauch, French Vogue, 1961 (Fiat 1200) (Image credit: Helmut Newton Foundation)

Look beyond the alluring models taking center stage in many Helmut Newton photographs, and you’ll see an equally dazzling car playing into the luxurious narrative that his work typically embodied.

While Newton (1920-2004) wasn’t an automotive photographer by specialty, he had a passion for cars – especially expensive cars, as they embodied the decadent, free-spirited lifestyle he led.

Now, an Italian designer brand, Larusmiani, and Italian automotive and “highlife” event, FuoriConcorso, have organized a world-first exhibition of Newton’s car-focused imagery.

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A man sat in the driver's seat of a car looks out the window toward the camera. — Helmut Newton, Nicolas Cage, Hollywood 1998 (Lamborghini Miura) (Image credit: Helmut Newton Foundation)

Helmut Newton. Cars will display a selection of images crafted by the artist between 1956-2001, and will take place in the garden of the empathic Villa Olmo, on the shores of Lake Como, Italy – where Newton worked repeatedly from the Seventies onwards.

While the open-air exhibition runs from May 15 to June 30, and is free to enter for 2 days, it forms part of this year's edition of FuoriConcorso, KraftMeister, itself taking place May 16-17 – and for which you'll need to buy tickets.

Visitors can admire some of Newton’s most iconic portraits featuring cars, from the 1985 shot of Princess Caroline of Monaco in a Mercedes-Benz 280 SL, to actor Nicolas Cage seated behind the wheel of a Lamborghini Miura in Hollywood, 1998.

A woman sat in a convertible white car looking alluringly at the camera. — Helmut Newton, Princess Caroline of Monaco, Monaco 1985 (Mercedes-Benz 280 SL) (Image credit: Helmut Newton Foundation)

The exhibition comes more than 20 years after Newton’s death. The artist’s impact has been described as “transformative"; his photographic and artistic style revolutionized fashion photography with themes of voyeurism and eroticism portrayed in high-contrast, narrative-driven scenes.

A longtime Vogue contributor, Newton’s daring, often controversial black-and-white images depict glamorous, powerful women rather than passive subjects, challenging traditional norms of fashion photography. Cars often played into this narrative, with many saying they represented Newton’s wild streak.

Helmut Newton. Cars, a world-first exhibition dedicated to the late photographer's more automotive-focused work, runs from May 15- June 30 at Villa Olmo, Lake Como. The event opens at 10:00 on the first day, with opening hours of 07:00-23:00 thereafter.

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I’m a writer, journalist and photographer who joined Digital Camera World in 2026. I started out in editorial in 2021 and my words have spanned sustainability, careers advice, travel and tourism, and photography – the latter two being my passions.

I first picked up a camera in my early twenties having had an interest in photography from a young age. Since then, I’ve worked on a freelance basis, mostly internationally in the travel and tourism sector. You’ll usually find me out on a hike shooting landscapes and adventure shots in my free time.