February 1, 1926 – April 21, 2009
Vivian Maier was a full
time nanny who worked in man cities in the US. In her leisure time, Vivian
would shoot photos that she hid from everyone. She took the photographs in the
late 1990’s, after her death in 2009, she left behind a body of work comprising
over 100,000 negatives. She had a passion for documenting and extended her
skills to a series of homemade documentary films and audio recordings. One of Vivian’s storage lockers was auctioned off due to
the lack of payments. That is were the storage lockers that held the massive
hoard of negatives Maier secretly stashed throughout her lifetime were found in
2007. They were auctioned off at a local thrift auction house on Chicago’s
Northwest Side. From then on, it would eventually impact the world over and
change the life of the man who championed her work and brought it to the public
eye by John Maloof.
I am not the biggest fan of street photography, but Maier's work has something different. With the idea that these images were hidden for so long is an exciting concept. She didn't take the images to please anyone but herself. She was not aiming to make money, or receive fame, she just loved to take photographs. The people in the images are getting on with their lives, and it feels just like Vivian has stepped into their lives. She has captured a moment that may not be a special occasion or very interesting, but the people in the image make it. She captures their expressions and you can feel a sense of trust from the subject towards her. The images are all very sincere and so well taken, it is such a shame she was not discovered while she was still alive. She is definitely a person I feel will never be forgotten in the photography and art world.
