Josef Sudek, the 'Poet of Prague', had a legendary career spanning almost six decades. His craftsmanship and technical virtuosity were unparalleled among his contemporaries. Faced with the legacy of cubism, surrealism and the Czech avantgarde, Sudek sought his own approach, characterized by a striking mastery of light.

Rückseite Titelblatt: Published in conjunction with the exhibition "The Intimate World of Josef Sudek", organized by the Canadian Photography Institute of the National Gallery of Canada and held at the Jeu de Paume, Paris, June 7-September 25, 2016 and at the National Gallery of Canada, October 28, 2016-March 19, 2017. -.

"Portraits, the second volume of the Torst series Josef Sudek: Works includes 86 carefully selected, superbly printed, color photos by the great Czech photographer Josef Sudek, as well as a complete bibliography and an interview with Jan Rezac, an editor of Czech art books, who greatly assisted in getting the first Sudek monograph published and became a friend of Sudek's." --Book Jacket.

Prague is the magic capital of Europe. Since the days of Emperor Rudolf II, 'devotee of the stars and cultivator of the spagyric art', who in the late 1500s summoned alchemists and magicians from all over the world to his castle on Hradcany hill, it has been a place of mystery and intrigue. Wars, revolutions, floods, the imposition of Soviet communism, or even the depredations of the tourist boom after the 'Velvet Revolution' of 1989, could not destroy the unique atmosphere of this beautiful, proud and melancholy city on the Vltava. John Banville traces Prague's often tragic history and portrays the people who made it, the emperors and princes, geniuses and charlatans, heroes and scoundrels, and paints a portrait of the Prague of today, revelling in its newfound freedoms, eager to join the European Community and at the same time suspicious of what many Praguers see as yet another totalitarian takeover. He writes of his first visit to the city, in the depths of the Cold War, when he engaged in a spot of art smuggling, and of subsequent trips there, of the people he met, the friends he made, the places he came to know.

This volume - investigating the work of a particular photographer, in this case, Josef Sudek - comprises a 4000-word essay by an expert in the field, 55 photographs presented chronologically, each with a commentary, and a biography of the featured photographer.

"Still Lifes is the third volume in Josef Sudek: Works, a new series published by Torst, Prague, This volume includes 68 carefully selected photos by the great Czech photographer Josef Smick (1896-1976), superbly printed to show the range of colors resulting from toning. It also includes a chronological biography by Anna Famva (b. 1928), a leading Czech photography historian and close friend of Sudek's, and an introductory essay by Jan Marius Tomes (b. 1913) a leading Czech art historian and also a friend of Sudek's." --Book Jacket.

No other cycle of Josef Sudek's photos depicts the artist's beloved city as a record of many Prague localities as nostalgic witnesses to the passage of time. The elongated format of his photographs enabled him not only to command a truly panoramic view of Prague: he himself was probably surprised by the resultant optic deformations whose distinctly expressive tinge offered by his old Kodak camera provided him with a golden opportunity of evoking--in his unique style--the rendition of various forms by his older friends--Czech cubists.--From book jacket.

Czech photographer Josef Sudek, who is best known for his moody, Romantic shots of still lifes and street scenes, was an influential advertising pioneer. Though this commercial aspect of his oeuvre is often overlooked, he collaborated with designer Ladislav Sutnar and architect Otto Rothmayer to create striking ads that rival the work of better-known contemporaries. This aspect of his career was short lived, however. The nationalization of privately owned businesses in Czechoslovakia at the end of the Second World War, coupled with the Communist takeover of 1948, made advertising largely superfluous. In this volume, Sudek's striking commercial portfolio is presented for the first time. The book includes an introduction by Czech Modern art historian Vojtech Lahoda, as well as a complete bibliography. In 1978, Sonja Bullaty-a former student of Sudek's-edited the first monograph of his work, which firmly established his reputation as one of the great photographers of the twentieth century. That volume was unrivaled prior to the publication of this monograph, which, in concert with two other concurrently published books, creates the most extensive compilation of Sudek's work to date.

When he arrived in Paris, Koudelka had already produced two outstanding works of reportage. One documented the Prague Spring, while the other, on gypsies, could almost have been an ethnological study had its images not been charged with so much emotion. Unknown in 1970, he rose to become one of the most powerful photographers of his day.This book shows that in the lands of exile through which he travels with his amazing urge to see, Koudelkas own particular talent has been affirmed and expanded.