Koudelka

Stark, impassioned, and singularly intense, Josef Koudelka's work has received deserved acclaim over the past three decades as a uniquely significant contribution to the language of photography. Koudelka is the first book to present over 150 of his most eloquent images in a single volume, from his earliest—published here for the first time—to the most recent panoramic landscape studies. Whether photographing avant-garde theater, gypsies throughout Eastern Europe, resistance to Soviet guns and tanks advancing on Prague, or the environmental degradation of a postindustrial world, Koudelka has consistently produced transformative images that stand outside time and place. In the words of Robert Delpire, the artist's longtime champion and publisher, "Koudelka brings an intense eye and full heart to each place, object, and person. This work proves once again that he is a photographer with unique personality and power." Each of the contributing essayists explores a different aspect of Koudelka's work, illustrating his constant evolution and intensity.

Josef Koudelka (born in Moravia, Czech Republic, 1938) has received the Prix Nadar, Grand Prix National de la Photographie, Grand Prix Cartier-Bresson, and Hasselblad Foundation International Award in Photography. His work has been exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art and the International Center of Photography, New York; Hayward Gallery, London; Stedelijk Museum of Modern Art, Amsterdam; and Palais de Tokyo, Paris. A member of Magnum Photos, he is based in Paris.