I was lucky enough to see the documentary Finding Vivian Maier during opening weekend at the IFC Center movie house in New York City. I also managed to attend a viewing when the co-director, John Maloof spoke. For those of you who know me, yes, I was front row, center for the showing and for his lecture. And, as you can tell below, I bought his book. What a wonderful story.
Who is Vivian Maier? She was a professional nanny in Chicago’s North Shore. From the 1950s until the 1990s she took well over 100,000 images, but didn’t show her street photography to a single soul. In 2007 her storage locker was sold off at auction after payments weren’t made. John Maloof, a Chicago-area history buff, bid on and won a box of Vivian’s 100,000 negatives, movie footage, and 2,700 rolls of undeveloped rolls of film. He paid $380. John attempted to find Vivian, but to no avail. Finally her work has been discovered, shown in galleries, and this documentary is just out, all after her 2009 death.
What a story this is. Please scroll down and take a look at the movie trailer. You will want to run out and see this movie in a town near you.
Plus, check out the March 23, 2014 New York Times article.
Some of my favorite images by Vivian Maier follow.
I have enjoyed artsy.net, a Vivian Maier resource site. Check it out to see 80+ images of her works, exclusive articles about Vivian Maier, as well as her up-to-date exhibitions – it’s a unique Maier resource.
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Thank you!