Koudelka: Gypsies [Hardcover]

Will Guy (Author), Josef Koudelka (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 30, 2011

Aperture's new edition of Koudelka: Gypsies rekindles the energy and astonishment of this foundational body of work by master photographer Josef Koudelka. Lavishly printed in a unique quadratone mix by artisanal printer Gerhard Steidl, it offers an expanded look at Cikáni (Czech for "gypsies" )--109 photographs of Roma society taken between 1962 and 1971 in then-Czechoslovakia (Bohemia, Moravia and Slovakia), Romania, Hungary, France and Spain. The design and edit for this volume revisits the artist's original intention for the work, and is based on a maquette originally prepared in 1968 by Koudelka and graphic designer Milan Kopriva. Koudelka intended to publish the work in Prague, but was forced to flee Czechoslovakia, landing eventually in Paris. In 1975, Robert Delpire, Aperture and Koudelka collaborated to publish Gitans, la fin du voyage (Gypsies, in the English-language edition), a selection of 60 photographs taken in various Roma settlements around East Slovakia. Gypsies includes more than 30 never-before-published images and a new text by Roma scholar and sociologist Will Guy, who also wrote the essay for the 1975 edition. Guy contributes a new, in-depth analysis of the condition of the Roma today, including the most recent upheavals in France and Europe.
Josef Koudelka (born 1938) is the recipient of the Prix Nadar, Grand Prix National de la Photographie, Grand Prix Cartier-Bresson and Hasselblad Foundation International Award in Photography. Major exhibitions of his work have been held at The Museum of Modern Art, New York and the International Center of Photography, New York; Hayward Gallery, London; Stedelijk Museum of Modern Art, Amsterdam; and Palais de Tokyo, Paris. In 2007, Aperture published his bestselling self-titled monograph, and in 2008 released the highly anticipated Invasion 68: Prague. Koudelka is a member of Magnum Photos and is currently based in Paris.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Koudelka brings to life the even older world of the Roma gypsies that he encountered in his travels in the late 1960s and early 1970s in images that resonate with mystery and ritual, romance and hardship. (Sean O'Hagan The Guardian 20111213)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Aperture; First Edition edition (September 30, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1597111775
• ISBN-13: 978-1597111775
• Product Dimensions: 12.7 x 9.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #536,776 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Koudelka's Wonderful Book September 14, 2011

By T. J. Mickleburgh

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Josef Koudelka's "Gypsies", first published in the United States by Aperture in 1975, has long been a scarce and desirable example of this artist's work. The new edition, published by Aperture and printed by Gerhard Steidl, demonstrates just how far the craft of making books has advanced in the past 35 years.
The book differs in several ways from its predecessor, though it represents the same body of work. First, it utilizes a vertical rather than a horizontal format. Horizontally formatted images are presented as two-page spreads almost 20 inches wide, meaning that Koudelka's marvelous use of wide-angle lenses can be viewed in the correct perspective. Two-page spreads usually fail because of the space lost to the gutter, but the new "Gypsies" is beautifully bound and opens almost flat.
There are also no distracting reflections, because the book is printed on matte stock. It is tempting to describe Steidl's quadratone printing as "sumptuous", which it certainly is, but more to the point, the printing serves the photographs: Steidl's craft, in that sense, is totally transparent. The images have a vitality that suggests that they were made in the darkroom, somehow using ink instead of silver.
The work itself remains timeless. It is based on Koudelka's original maquette, adding more than 30 photographs that were not in the 1975 edition, and every one of them is worthy of its place in the new book. If you have never seen Josef Koudelka's work before, there is no better pace to start than with "Gypsies". If you are familiar with the 1975 edition, this one will amaze you. Rarely has an artist been so well-served by his printer and publisher.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An utter triumph in the art of photobook publishing September 23, 2011

By Susan Lockrey

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Couldn't agree more with Mr.Mickleburgh's delightful review. Koudelka's original release of his 'Gypsies' book has long been one of my favourites from my photobook collection. This second edition is even better. An utter triumph in the combined arts of photography and printing. The use of matte paper, especially, was a great decision. Aperture are, deservedly, one of the world's great publishing companies. And Herr Steidl. Wow, what a brilliant man. Now ... if only they'd all get together and give us a second edition of 'Exiles'!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Gypsies is a photographic book like no other. September 30, 2011

By Bruce Hart

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Josef Koudelka's 'Gypsies is a masterpiece. The revised edition which has just been released is well worth the price. There is no other photographic book like it and I do not believe there will ever be one. Its raw approach with its grainy effects is unique and it has a bite to it that no other photographic book has. This was Josef's first book and he went on to produce many other books after this one. His committment to his subjects and the trust that they gave him is apparent in many of the intimate rectangles of stillness in this revised edition. And it is a sad history of a past era which has not changed to this day.

Highly recommended.