Pomellato's First Helmut Newton Exhibition Launches In Tokyo

The audacious 1980s commercials of the Milanese jeweller featuring Helmut Newton have resurfaced, now presented as an exhibition in Tokyo showcasing vintage gems.

Helmut Newton, Pomellato, Paris, 1982. Copyright: Helmut Newton Foundation/ Trunk Archive

This September, the Milanese jeweller Pomellato inaugurates its inaugural solo show focused on the controversial perspective of Helmut Newton. The exhibition "Pomellato, Helmut Newton & the 80s" will take place from 18 September to 6 October at Omotesando Crossing Park in Tokyo, highlighting the transformative campaigns that reshaped jewellery and femininity in the early 1980s.

During an era when jewellery promotion adhered closely to tradition, Pomellato diverged. From 1982 until 1984, the maison collaborated with Newton, showcasing women not as mere decorative elements but as central figures—adorned with chains, bangles, and an abundance of jewels, reflecting the evolving cultural landscape. In striking black-and-white, Newton's heroes reclined in bars, slung necklaces over tables, and asserted their presence with an unabashed elegance that remains vibrant today.

Arielle Burgelin Dehugo, who led the 1984 campaign, remembers, “Helmut never requested beauty from me—he requested authenticity.” The rawness, along with Pomellato’s goldsmithing expertise—its hallmark Gourmette and Gate-link chains, together with the woven Tessute pieces that resembled flowing fabric—transformed the images into declarations of liberation as well as advertisements.

Helmut Newton, Pomellato, Paris, 1982. Copyright: Helmut Newton Foundation/ Trunk Archive

Sabina Belli, CEO of Pomellato Group, describes the cooperation as “a visual declaration of independence,” encapsulating the maison’s principles of innovative design and female empowerment. Newton depicted the Pomellato woman with striking, provocative nonconformity. Newton adeptly embodied both the allure of this golden moment and the significant socioeconomic transformations occurring in women's lives, producing visual manifestos of emancipation that have their potency now, just as they did upon their initial revelation to the public.

The exhibition will showcase advertisements with archival jewels, demonstrating that they serve not merely as nostalgic reflections but as a contemporary reminder that style is inherently political, and jewellery—when worn purposefully—can function as both protection and decoration.

The exhibition "Pomellato, Helmut Newton & the 80s" will take place from September 18 to October 6, 2025, in Omotesando Crossing Park in Tokyo. Admission is complimentary and requires an appointment.