Josef Sudek (1896–1976) was Prague’s Atget. From the mid-1920s until his death in 1976, Sudek photographed everything—the Gothic and Baroque architecture, the streets and objects—usually leaving the frame free of people. Because he was reclusive, a large portion of Sudek’s work was captured through his studio window: he was particularly fond of how the glass refracted light. The Window of My Studio series, spanning from the beginning of the Second World War to the first half of the 1950s, presents the series, which was of fundamental importance to Sudek, for it caused his work to move further into a surreal or Magic Realist style, with blurred images and strong shadows. Photography historian Anna Fárová contributes an introduction and an extensive biographical chronology to this volume—now back in print—which also includes a complete bibliography of portfolios, books and catalogues of Sudek’s work.

Text by: Anna Fárová