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 avant-garde, Sudek sought his own approach, characterised by a striking mastery of light.

This book takes readers on a journey through Sudek’s life. Richly illustrated with photographs from the Art Gallery of Ontario, it also includes essays by some of the foremost writers on Sudek’s work, among them curator Maia-Mari Sutnik, photo-historian Antonín Dufek, Canadian Art editor Richard Rhodes and photographer Geoffrey James. Excerpts from John Banville’s Prague Pictures: Portraits of a City are also included in this volume. Czech art historian and Sudek expert Anna Fárová rounds out the volume with a detailed biographical chronology of the artist. The photographs included in this book cover every stage of Sudek’s extensive career, documenting his lifelong quest to perfect his photographic vision.