Romania
- Artist: Josef Koudelka
- Date: 1968
- Medium: Photograph, gelatin silver print on paper
- Dimensions: image: 539 × 361 mm
- Museum: Tate Modern
- Collection record: Tate Modern website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
This is the “Romania” by Josef Koudelka. It comes from his 1968 Gypsies series, one of his first big projects. In this shot Koudelka pulls you into the daily world of Roma people living in Romania and the wider post‑war Europe where they were being forced into integration and facing persecution. The image is a gelatin silver print taken with a 25‑mm wide‑angle lens, letting him capture tight, intimate spaces. The Roma called him “Ikonar,” a maker of icons, and that respect shows in how he freezes moments of tradition, struggle, and resilience. The composition feels raw and beautiful, a window into a culture that was often overlooked. It reminds us that even in hard times, everyday life goes on, full of color and humanity.
See it in person
Romania 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.
