Josef Koudelka is a Czech-born French photographer known for his humanistic and poetic approach to photography. Born in Boskovice in 1938, he initially studied aeronautical engineering before turning to photography in the 1950s. He gained international recognition for his documentation of the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968 and his extensive work on the itinerant Roma people across Europe. A member of Magnum Photos since 1975, Koudelka's work is characterized by a visceral, often haunting aesthetic that captures moments of upheaval, exile, and cultural transition. He became a naturalized French citizen in 1987.[1,2,3]
