Helmut Newton (Australian, b. Germany, 1920-2004), 16th Arrondissement, Paris, 1976. Gelatin Silver Print, 12 3/8 x 8 3/16 in. Gift of Dr. Kistaps J. Keggi, 1983.62.9
A looming doorframe becomes the site of encounter between two women at the entryway of an apartment located in the notoriously affluent 16th arrondissement of Paris. Their contrasting dress, stature, and gestures across the threshold of the doorway stage the erotics of power and the allure of dominance and submission through the exchange of looks. As we look on from the position of a voyeur in the stairwell, what is exposed is not of the full story of this exchange, but the act of looking itself as a desirous, vulnerable, and unpredictable occupation.
The Wet Archive 