Since June 2004, the Kunstbibliothek’s Collection of Photography has held exhibitions under the same roof as the Helmut Newton Foundation in the Museum für Fotografie (Museum of Photography) in Jebensstraße 2, opposite Zoologischer Garten station. Thanks to the comprehensive restoration of the Kaisersaal, the Photographic Collection now boasts an exhibition room in which to display all forms of photography dating from the 19th century to the present day.
The Photographic Collection's holdings date back to the very early days of photography, through to Pictorialism around the turn of the last century, the Neues Sehen or 'New Vision' of the 1920s, to the new artistic styles of the present day. The Collection is divided into five areas: the photographic archive, the collection of artistic photography, the personal bequests and archive, the photogrammetric holdings and historical postcards from the 19th and 20th century. The photographs are stored in the Museum für Fotografie and are accessible by appointment.
The Helmut Newton Foundation was founded in 2003 by Helmut and June Newton. It is constituted as a foundation under Swiss law based in Zurich. The foundation's aim is the conservation, protection and presentation of the photographic oeuvre of Helmut Newton and his wife June. June Newton, who worked from 1970 onwards under the name of Alice Springs, was a prominent portraitist in her own right.
On establishing the foundation, Helmut Newton transferred the ownership of a large number of photographic prints to it. These represent an essential part of his life's artistic achievements.
In October 2003, the Helmut Newton Foundation and the Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz (Foundation of Prussian Cultural Heritage) entered into a contract under which it was agreed that the Helmut Newton Foundation was to move into the former Landwehrkasino in Berlin Charlottenburg, with the ground floor and the first floor made permanently available as exhibition space.
According to Helmut Newton's wishes, this foundation in his home town Berlin, which opened in June 2004, was not to be a "dead museum" but a "living institution". His multi-faceted, innovative and often provocative work is being presented in a series of alternating exhibitions. The Helmut Newton Foundation also exhibits the work of other artists and photographers in order to create a dialogue with Helmut Newton's oeuvre.