Photographer Vivian Maier
Who is Vivian Maier? It just might be, that she herself didn’t really know. Maier was completely unknown until a young Chicago real estate agent, John Maloof, discovered her work in an attic space after her death at age 83. Many are saying that the treasure trove of street photography she left behind ranks her as one of the master image makers of our age. Vivian is now taking the art world by storm, posthumously.
Vivian Maier was driven in her craft, that much is evident. Maloof has been working tirelessly to scan and archive 100,000 of her negatives. In addition, 900 or so undeveloped rolls of her film await processing. This suggests she was not fully aware of her own talent. Then again, perhaps she was keenly aware, and preferred to stay in love with her work, beyond the art world glare.
Vivian was born in New York in 1926 and was raised in France (her mother was French.) She returned to New York in 1951 and settled in Chicago, where she worked as a nanny for 40 years. On her days off, she roamed the streets of Chicago and New York, shooting with her Rolleiflex twin-lens reflex camera.
Maloof appears to be pleasantly bewildered by the work’s international response. He first discovered a box of Maier’s negatives at an auction while doing research for a book. Listening to his instincts, while not fully aware of what he was looking at, he plumbed the internet for advice. The rest is history, or, so to say, history in the making. Maloof and partner Anthony Rydzon are seeking to fund and create a film about Vivian Maier’s life and art.
See Multimedia Content below for links to an enchanting VIDEO and website to glimpse into how Vivian Maier perceived her world:
