Czechoslovakia, Prague, August 21st, 1968. Warsaw Pact tanks invade Prague, near the Radio headquarters, crowds push back the first tank
- Artist: Josef Koudelka
- Date: 1968
- Medium: Photograph, gelatin silver print on paper
- Dimensions: image: 562 × 366 mm
- Museum: Tate Modern
- Collection record: Tate Modern website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
This is the “Czechoslovakia, Prague, August 21st 1968. Warsaw Pact tanks invade Prague, near the Radio headquarters, crowds push back the first tank” by Josef Koudelka. The image captures the tense moment when the first tank rolled into the heart of the city, only to be met by a determined crowd that physically pushed it back. Koudelka, a Czech photographer, was on the ground as the invasion unfolded. He said he took these shots for himself, not for a magazine, and that the event was “my country” and a personal threat. The photograph was taken with remarkable proximity, making the viewer feel the grit of that day. For safety, the print was first credited to an “unknown photographer,” but it later emerged that Koudelka was the one who dared to document the event. This single frame embodies both the raw fear and the resolute spirit of the Prague people.
See it in person
Czechoslovakia, Prague, August 21st, 1968. Warsaw Pact tanks invade Prague, near the Radio headquarters, crowds push back the first tank 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.
