Moving beyond his own backyard, Sudek began photographing
the garden of architect and friend Otto Rothmayer in 1948. Sudek was drawn to
the dynamic contrast between the garden’s dense vegetation and Rothmayer’s
modern, white furniture; what began as a friendly request to document the newly
designed chairs soon transformed into a 16-year-long series. Throughout A Walk in
the Magic Garden, Sudek staged small scenes, creating still lifes with glass
and stones, or evoking potential narrative with a carefully placed hat under a
tree.