VIVIAN MAIER (1926-2009):
A Renaissance In The Art of Street Photography
Self Portrait - Vivian Maier
Self Portrait - Vivian Maier
Self Portrait - Vivian Maier
Self Portrait - Vivian Maier
Self Portrait - Vivian Maier
If you are a fan of photography and are not yet familiar with the fascinating and mysterious story of Ms Vivian Maier's photographs, you owe it to yourself to click on a link or two at the bottom of this post. Who is Vivian Maier? I'll try my best to give a quick snapshot of what is quickly becoming the Vivian Maier legend. In short, Vivian was never a professional photographer. Rather, she spent most of her adult life as a Chicago nanny. Taking care of others' children may have been her occupation but her true life's calling was hidden from world view until shortly after her death. Vivian Maier enjoyed capturing the comings and goings of strangers on the streets of mid-century Chicago as well as the cities far and wide that she traveled to on Holiday. Street photography. Camera in tow, she captivates us with her ability to compose and expose - the likes of which many feel rival anything produced by trained masters of street photography. Her eye adeptly attuned to capturing human emotions, clever vignettes and the various oddities of urban humanity. It's believed she never really shared her images with anyone. Never married? No children of her own? No close friendships to speak of? So far, she remains a bit of a mystery. Passionate about photography to the end, she was also an intensely private person. Photography, as it seems, was an escape for her. So, as the story goes, fate had plans for the wealth of imagery Ms Vivian had amassed with her various cameras, most notably a Rolleiflex TLR and later a Leica Rangefinder. In the twilight of her long life and living alone in Chicago, she took a terrible fall one wintery afternoon. She lived out the remains of her days in a nursing home. As a result, the contents of a storage unit belonging to Vivian Maier fell into collection for nonpayment - destined for the auction block. Enter John Maloof, Ron Slatterly, & Jeff Goldstein - current champions of Ms Vivian's work, all of whom stumbled upon bits of her life and imagery from the above mentioned Chicago auction. Each captivated by the quality and breadth of her photos. Each man choosing to share their discoveries with the world so that we too can come to appreciate her artistic eye. In the end, all of this excitement also begs the question: What do you suppose Ms Vivian would have made of all this publicity? This past spring I attended a viewing of Vivian's works at the Chicago Cultural Center - curated from Mr John Maloof's collection. I too was captivated, like the many others in attendance. Her images are now beginning to appear in galleries around the globe, encouraging others to examine for themselves a new found celebrity in the world of Street Photography: Vivian Maier. All my best - Cate.
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