Koudelka

by Josef Koudelka (Photographer), Robert Delpire (Editor), G. Boni (Translator)

Josef Koudelka ha lasciato Praga nel 1970. Aveva già fotografato l'invasione sovietica della Cecoslovacchia e realizzato un grande lavoro sugli zingari dell'Europa dell'Est. Solo, in esilio volontario, attraversa il mondo e va incontro agli uomini con un'eccezionale sensibilità verso le loro vite, le loro tristezze, i loro dolori, le loro gioie. La sua "rabbia di vedere" è unica e fuori del comune; le sue immagini, di grande compostezza formale, appaiono fuori dal tempo, senza altri riferimenti cui agganciarsi. Ognuna di queste testimonia la vicinanza e la profondità della sua esperienza esistenziale. E nessun altra certezza. Solo l'evidente intensità dello sguardo, carico d'emozione, di Koudelka su luoghi, oggetti e uomini particolari. Tutta l'opera di Josef Koudelka testimonia la personalità e la rara potenza del suo autore. Questo libro, arricchito dai testi di Robert Delpire, Dominique Eddé, Michel Frizot, Anna Fárová, Petr Král, Otomar Krejca, Gilles Tiberghien e Pierre Soulages, raccoglie le varie tappe dell'opera di Koudelka e ne mostra l'intensità sempre crescente: i suoi primi lavori, le sue foto di teatro, il lavoro sugli zingari, l'invasione di Praga nel 1968, la serie Exils, fino alle panoramiche più recenti.

Genres: Photography, Nonfiction, Art and Photography, Art

275 pages, Hardcover

First published November 6, 2006

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

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Koudelka is a wonderful photographer and this book was such a pleasure and inspiration to read. I checked this out of the liberary but I would love to own a copy. Unfortunately a quick check on Amazon had this book at $250!

[Bradley Hanson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a gorgeous book of B&W panoramas from this photographic master. What is unique about this as a book is it's all ONE PIECE OF PAPER accordion folded!

[Anna Sircova · Rating 5 out of 5]

Got an introduction to Koudelka's panoramic work - very inspiring.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of 158 black & white photographs by the great Czech photographer Josef Koudelka covers a time span of 47 years (1958-2005) and includes eight brief essays.

[Paula · Rating 2 out of 5]

A good book of photography - but not my favorite.