Helmut Newton (1920–2004) always had a healthy degree of suspicion towards the simple or predictable. It is therefore not surprising that the SUMO was a project he could not resist. The idea of a book that has the dimensions of a private exhibition , with breathtaking pictures, reproduced and printed according to the latest standards , was the result of an open, experimental dialogue between photographer and publisher. With the 35.4 kilos (almost 80 pounds) that the SUMO – including box and foil – to the scales, Newton created a milestone in the book industry , which, with both the extravagance of its conception and its technical data, meters above anything that had ever been attempted before on the book market.

The SUMO , originally published in an edition of 10,000 signed and numbered copies, sold out soon after its release and quickly increased in value many times over. Today, individual copies are represented in numerous important collections worldwide, including the New York Museum of Modern Art. The legendary SUMO copy number one, hand-signed by over 100 of the famous people depicted in the book, broke the record for the most expensive book published in the 20th century when it fetched over 317,000 euros at an auction in Berlin on April 6, 2000.

This XL edition now celebrates 20 years SUMO . The book, carefully revised by his wife June Newton, contains all 464 images and a A supplement that takes us through the genesis of this major journalistic event – ​​a breathtaking homage to the larger-than-life photographer, now in a more manageable format.