Bringing an entirely new slant to the concept of the coffee-table book, SUMO is a suitably enormous homage to 79-year-old Helmut Newton, the master of subversive and erotic photography. "I wanted to build a monument to the most important photographer of the 20th century," comments Benedikt Taschen, the publisher behind SUMO. He delivers. Weighing over 65 pounds, measuring more than two feet long, and breaking any previous size record in book publishing, SUMO contains 480 pages of every aspect of Newton's outstanding career in photography. Each copy of the book is bound by hand and numbered and signed by the artist. In order to showcase this colossus, the book is packaged with its own stand designed by Philippe Starck.

This outsized volume contains the body of Newton's controversial yet iconographic work, documenting fashion, fetishism, and above all an overriding obsession with voyeurism that can make the viewer feel complicit or uneasy by turns. Newton himself describes SUMO as "terrifying and outrageous. I don't even look at it as a book.... I look at it as an object." --Catherine Taylor, Amazon.co.uk

From the Publisher
"HELMUT NEWTON'S SUMO WINS INTERNATIONAL CENTER OF PHOTOGRAPHY'S 1999 INFINITY AWARD AT MAY 11 CEREMONY Helmut Newton's SUMO published by TASCHEN has been judged the Best Book on Photography Published in 1999 by world-renowned International Center of Photography. SUMO, the biggest and most costly book ever produced, was judged best in a field of outstanding photography books published in the last year of the 20th century. Conceived as a monumental tribute to Helmut Newton, arguably the most influential and controversial of contemporary photographers, SUMO has become a star in its own right by winning this honor in a field filled with worthy books devoted to photography."

FROM OUR EDITORS

Sumo is a massive book that is unlike any other. Not only is it the largest and most expensive book ever produced, but it also carries the novelty of being a coffee table book that comes with its own coffee table. The stand for this monumental 66-pound book was created exclusively for the book by acclaimed designer Phillippe Starck. A marvel of design and production, Sumo features nearly 500 photographs by the controversial, irreverent contemporary photographer Helmut Newton. Primarily known for his nude portraits of women, including models and celebrities, Newton has contributed photographs to the top fashion magazines -- Elle, Marie-Claire, and each of the international editions of Vogue. Each exquisitely hand-bound book is numbered and signed by Newton. In 1999, Sumo was named the Best Book on Photography by the International Center of Photography.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

SUMO is a titanic book in every respect: it is a tribute to the twentieth century's most influential, intriguing and controversial photographer.

Measuring 50 x 70 cm (20 x 27.5 inches) and weighing approx. 30 kg (66 lb.), the book contains 480 pages, breaking any previous record. SUMO is truly a unique publication.

FROM THE CRITICS

Times (London)

A collector's item, not just among photo-fetishists.

Le Monde

The latest book by Helmut Newton is quite an exceptional object.

Liberation (France)

SUMO is just brilliant.

Le Temps

Women naked or dressed, portraits of the famous, and provocative mises-en-scène: 450 photographs by one of the greatest photographers of our time in a quite exceptional format.

Photo (France)