Czechoslovakia, Slovakia, Rakasy
- Artist: Josef Koudelka
- Date: 1966
- Medium: Photograph, gelatin silver print on paper
- Dimensions: image: 354 × 540 mm
- Museum: Tate Modern
- Collection record: Tate Modern website
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About this artwork
This is “Czechoslovakia, Slovakia, Rakasy” by Josef Koudelka. It’s a 1966 gelatin‑silver print that captures a quiet moment in the village of Rakasy, one of the many places the photographer documented in his travels across Czechoslovakia. The photo was presented by Koudelka himself in 2025 and now sits in the Tate Modern’s “Artist and Society” room. Koudelka, born in 1938, is known for his stark black‑and‑white images that reveal the human condition against a backdrop of political change. Though the print is only 354 by 540 mm, its composition draws the viewer into the landscape, encouraging us to think about the history and people of this region. The work is part of the Tate Collection and was created during a period of great upheaval in Eastern Europe.
See it in person
Czechoslovakia, Slovakia, Rakasy is in the collection of Tate Modern on Bankside, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
