Gypsies: Photographs

by Josef Koudelka

Gypsies. Photographs by Josef Koudelka. Afterword by Willy Guy. 60 blackandwhite duotone photographs, 11 3/4 X 10 5/8, 133 pages. Hardcover. . "The photographer Josef Koudelka is as nomadic and unpredictable as the Gypsies whose existence he has brilliantly chronicled."

-Vanity Fair

Genres: Photography, Art, Art and Photography, Nonfiction

135 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 1975

About the author

Josef Koudelka was born in Czechoslovakia in 1938. He began his career as an aeronautical engineer, and started photographing gypsies in his spare time in 1962, before turning full-time to photography in the late 1960s. In 1968 Koudelka photographed the Soviet invasion of Prague, publishing his photographs under the initials P.P. (Prague photographer). In 1969, he was anonymously awarded the Overseas Press Club’s Robert Capa Gold Medal for the photographs. Koudelka left Czechoslovakia seeking political asylum in 1970, and shortly thereafter he joined Magnum Photos.

In 1975 his first book, Gypsies, was published by Aperture, and subsequent titles include Exiles (1988), Chaos (1999), Invasion 68: Prague (2008), and Wall (2013) and, most recently Ruines (2020). Koudelka has won major awards, such as the Prix Nadar (1978), Grand Prix National de la Photographie (1989), Grand Prix Cartier-Bresson (1991), and the Hasselblad Foundation International Award in Photography (1992).

Exhibitions of his work have been held at The Museum of Modern Art and the International Center of Photography, New York; Hayward Gallery, London; Stedelijk Museum of Modern Art, Amsterdam; Palais de Tokyo, Paris; Art Institute of Chicago; and Museum of Decorative Arts and the National Gallery, Prague. In 2012, he was named Commandeur de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture and Communication. He is currently based in Paris and Prague.

Reviews

[David Olds · Rating 5 out of 5]

Josef Koudelka is one of the greatest documentary photographers working today. This amazing collection of images of the Roma people were taken in East Slovakia in the 1960s. For over a decade the Czech-born photographer traveled throughout Europe documenting the lives of these nomadic people, often living out of a duffle bag. While I was studying in the Documentary Photography Programe at Newport College of Art and Design in Wales, Koudelka would often use our darkroom facilities to hand roll his film, process and contact print 100's of rolls of film and then be on his way. He often stayed with my mentor, Magnum photographer David Hurn. David was instrumental in helping Koudelka edit and prepare this book of mystical black and white images. One day David pulled out a proof copy of the book and it blew me away. Koudelka's book Gypsies, is one the great photography books of the 20th century.

[Ясен В. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this book a second time, since I acquired it. Some of the portraits are striking and this book deserves more than a flip through when a friend lends it to you.

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A friend lent me this smaller edition of Gypsies.

Koudelka has the eye that helps his photos have "that magic". This project is a mixture of documentary and portraits that flows really well. The high contrast look of the photos helps the details stand out and makes you look twice.

[Rosopsida · Rating 5 out of 5]

Teplice, 1967

[Jacob Hartman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I keep coming back to this book. It’s really beautifully done. I am a painter, and I’ve found Koudelka’s compositions and storytelling really inspirational to my practice.

There are images in this book that have stuck with me.

[Gijs Limonard · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5 stars; been wading into the world of photography of late and eagerly brushing up on the classics; Koudelka is a very recent discovery and I was struck by his pretty raw/realistic style, loved it; a lot of his work is freely available online at the internet archive, go check them out!

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible

[lex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Niet te bevatten hoeveel briljante foto’s er in dit boek staan.. Een tijdloos boek van Koudelka. Deze nieuwe uitgave van Aperture is daarnaast verbluffend mooi uitgevoerd en een grote verbetering tov de oorspronkelijke editie. Subliem afgedrukt op mat papier en in een groter formaat.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really wonderful collection of photographs; they were very honest regarding the state of poverty that Roma people endured in these countries and several photos were incredibly striking.