Today marks the fortieth anniversary that the Soviet Union and its Warsaw Pact allies invaded Czechoslovakia, writer Kate Taylor reports in Everything Unbelievable Was Possible in The New York Sun on the forthcoming exhibition of photographs made by Josef Koudelka during this one historic week titled, Invasion 68 Prague.

In 1968, Koudelka was a young photographer chronicling the theater, and the lives of gypsies, but he had never photographed a news event. That all changed on the night of August 21, when Warsaw Pact tanks invaded the city of Prague, ending the short-lived political freedom in Czechoslovakia that came to be known as the Prague Spring. In the midst of the turmoil of the Soviet-led invasion, Koudelka took to the streets to document this critical moment. These powerful photographs anonymously reached Magnum Photos in New York and earned the Robert Capa award.

Don’t miss the opening reception on Thursday, September 4th, 6:00-8:00 p.m. with the artist!