Pendant plus de trente ans, Josef Koudelka a sillonné 200 sites archéologiques du pourtour méditerranéen, dont il a tiré des centaines de photographies panoramiques en noir et blanc. La BnF expose un ensemble inédit de 110 tirages exceptionnels intitulé « Ruines », révélant toute la force et la beauté du lexique visuel d’un des derniers grands maîtres de la photographie moderne.

The exhibition at the Ernst Leitz Museum presents works from two of Koudelka's important groups of work: the selections from Exiles and from his panoramic photographs offer powerful insight into his imagery. At the same time, both groups reflect a suspenseful dialogue between people and fate, liveliness and dead matter, contemporary history and timelessness.

This retrospective exhibition commemorates the 80th birthday of the distinguished Czech photographer and provides a cross-section of his entire oeuvre. About 400 works that Josef Koudelka donated to this museum will form the backbone of the exhibition.

Complementing the selection will be picture loans from the Magnum Photo agency, hand-picked by the photographer and curator Irena Šorfová. Photos of the Soviet Invasion of Czechoslovakia (August 1968) will be prominently featured, along with original pictures and documentary materials from Josef Koudelka’s archive.

Two books will be published in Czech and English: one a catalog of Koudelka’s donated works; the other presenting a few selected series from the exhibition, essays and a biography of the artist.