Koudelka

Josef Koudelka was born in Moravia in 1938. He began his career as an aeronautical engineer, turning full-time to phtography in the late 1960s. In 1968, Koudelka photographed the Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia, publishing these images under the initials P.P. (Prague Photographer). Soon after, he was anonymously awarded the Overseas Press Club's Robert Capa Gold Medal for the images. Forty years later an extended collection of these images, along with select primary source texts, was published as Invasion 68: Prague.Koudelka left Czechoslovakia in 1970, became statless, was then granted political asylum in England, and shortly therefter joined Magnum Photos. In 1975, the first edition of his work Gypsieswas published (a revised and enlarged edition was released in 2011). Exiles was published in 1988.Koudelka published numerous books of photographs focusing on the relationship between contemporary man and the landscape, including Black Triangle (1994), Chaos (1999), and Lime (2012).Significant 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, Amsterdam; and Palais de Tokyo, Paris.Koudelka is the recipient of major awards such as the Prix Nadar (1978), Grand Prix National de la Photographie (1989), Grand Prix Cartier-Bresson (1991), Hasselblad Foundation International Award in Photography (1992), and the Medal of Merit awarded by the Czech Republic (2002). In 2012, he was named Commandeur de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture.He is based in Paris and Prague.