To commemorate the 100th anniversary of Helmut Newton's birth, along with the publisher's 40th anniversary, Tashen has released Baby Sumo – a $1,500 / £1,000 prestige volume of the iconic photographer's work.
You may remember the original Sumo, released in 1999, which made a huge splash in the art monograph genre thanks to its colossal $22,500 / £17,500 price tag and matching size (after which the book is named).
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At 20 x 28 inches and 66lbs / 30kg, it broke records for its audacious size – and officially became the most expensive book produced in the 20th Century when a signed copy sold for 620,000DM ($430,000) in 2000.
Baby Sumo pays homage to the groundbreaking original (which might literally have broken your floor, if you dropped it) but comes as a shrunk-in-the-wash version, measuring 14.1 x 19.7 inches and weighting in at 21.56lbs / 9,80kg.
Strictly limited to 10,000 copies, this 464-page megabook contains 400 of Newton's most stunning images "reproduced and printed to the latest standards". Edited and revised by his widow, June, this "private exhibition of photographs"is accompanied by a booklet that documents the production of this historic volume.
And that's not all. Coffee table books are all well and good, but giant volumes like this will swallow your coffee table whole. Thankfully Baby Sumo, just like its predecessor, comes with a stunning book stand including a pedestal, once again designed by French architect and designer Philippe Starck.
Some of the classic photographs featured in the book include 'Rue Aubriot', 'Shoe', 'Walking Women', and portraits of stars such as Nicolas Cage, Catherine Deneuve and Mickey Rourke ('Rue Aubriot' is also being exhibited in London at the Helmut Newton: 100 Years event from 31 October to 14 November).
You can order Helmut Newton Baby Sumo directly from publisher Taschen.
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