Antonin Kratochvil

As photojournalists go, Antonin Kratochvil has sunk his teeth into his fair share of upheaval and human catastrophes whilst going about his documentation of the time in which he lives. Kratochvil's unique style of photography is the product of personal experience, intimate conditioning and not privileged voyeurism.

From shooting Mongolia's street children for the magazine published by the Museum of Natural History to a portrait session with David Bowie for Detour, from covering the war in Iraq for Fortune Magazine to shooting Deborah Harry for a national advertising campaign for the American Civil Liberties Union, Kratochvil's ability to see through and into his subjects and show immutable truth has made his pictures not facsimiles but uncensored visions.

Kratochvil has won numerous awards and grants dating back to 1975. The latest of these are his two first place prizes at the 2002 World Press Photo Awards in the categories of general news and nature and the environment. The next is the 2004 grant from Aperture publishing for Kratochvil's study on the fractious relationship between American civil liberties and the newly formed Homeland Security since the World Trade Center bombings. 

Other awards include the Infinity Award for Photojournalism from the ICP; The Alfred Eisenstadt Award from Life Magazine; and Leica Medal of Excellence for outstanding documentary photography.  In addition, Kratochvil's fifth book Vanishing was published in 2005.  Kratochvil was born in the Czech Republic in 1947 and now lives in New York City.  He was one of the founders of the VII Photo Agency.

For more information on Antonin Kratochvil visit his website.