“ONE OF THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY AND POWERFUL ARTISTS OF THE 20TH CENTURY”

KOUDELKA, Josef. Chaos. (Paris): Nathan/Delpire, (1999). Oblong quarto, original debossed black cloth, original photographic dust jacket. $2500.

First edition, French issue, boldly signed by Koudelka on the title page, featuring 108 finely screened duotones (including many triptychs and double-page panoramas).

"Chaos stands as a monument to the aftermath of the industrial revolution and the modern era… the result of Koudelka's very powerful and idiosyncratic vision… Chaos takes a new turn in the presentation of his work. Vertical images are more frequent, which is a rare occurrence with panoramic format. They are often grouped in triptychs… playing on the commonality of shapes and textures… Koudelka's quest has established him as one of the most extraordinary photographers and powerful artists of the 20th century" (Afterimage). As in Cerný troujúhelnik (The Black Triangle, 1994) and Limestone (2001), Koudelka's unique sense of composition and the panoramic form "builds geometric visions that seem to expose the framework of the world, on a canvas of ideal forms… a world fallen to chaos" (Koudelka, 204-5). First edition, French issue, published simultaneously in Milan and London. Text in French by Bernard Noel. See Parr & Badger II: 74, 202.

A fine copy.