Author: ftnbooks

I begin this blog on Jan Saudek with a quote i found on AZQuote:

I believe all artists, if they are not lying to themselves, must believe that the best part of their work, or even their life, is in front of them. To look only to the past and to say ‘those were the best years, when I was young’ is to say that in the future there is nothing.

Saudek has become a household name in photography after Benedikt Taschen decided to publish his photo’s in cheap but beautiful glossy books. These books made his name among photography lovers and not only because of their quality, but also because of their subjects. Saudek never did censor himself and used many models all from his direct surroundings and family and photographed them being their complete self.

These photo’s are so typical Saudek that his works can never be mistaken to have been taken by somebody else. In an instant you can see that they are Saudek’s. In the mid eighties, Art Unlimited…an Amsterdam based publisher , began to publish his postcards and with this publication the great popularity of Saudek’s photo’s began. After this initial introduction to the art world large exhibits and gallery presentations followed ( gallery TORCH). Now his photography is available to all, because of the many publications there ghave been with Saudek photographs, but the originals are available only to a few because they have become far too expensive for ordinary collectors to collect. www.ftn-books.com has some nice publications on Saudel. Part of which is printed by Rosbeek, which i believe is the very best printer for these great photo’s