Vivian Maier: A Life Through the Lens
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- Create Date：2021-06-10 09:53:34
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- Author：John Maloof
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Summary
The definitive monograph of American photographer Vivian Maier， exploring the full range and brilliance of her work and the mystery of her life， written and edited by noted photography curator and writer Marvin Heiferman and featuring 250 black-and-white images， color work， and other materials never seen before
Vivian Maier’s story—the secretive nanny-photographer during her life who becomes a popular sensation shortly after her death—has， to date， been pieced together only from previously seen or known images she made and the handful of facts that have surfaced about her life。 During her lifetime she shot more than 100，000 images， which she kept hidden from the world。 In 2007， two years before her death， Chicago historic preservationist John Maloof discovered a trove of negatives， and roll upon roll of undeveloped film in a storage locker he bought at auction。 They revealed a surprising and accomplished artist and a stunning body of work， which Maloof championed and brought to worldwide acclaim。
Vivian Maier presents the most comprehensive collection and largest selection of the photographer’s work—created during the 1950s through the 1970s in New York， Chicago， and on her travels around the country—almost exclusively unpublished and including her previously unknown color work。 It features images of and excerpts from Maier’s personal artifacts， memorabilia， and audio tapes， made available for the first time。 This remarkable volume draws upon recently conducted interviews with people who knew Maier， which shed new light on Maier’s photographic skill and her life。
Vivian Maier’s story—the secretive nanny-photographer during her life who becomes a popular sensation shortly after her death—has， to date， been pieced together only from previously seen or known images she made and the handful of facts that have surfaced about her life。 During her lifetime she shot more than 100，000 images， which she kept hidden from the world。 In 2007， two years before her death， Chicago historic preservationist John Maloof discovered a trove of negatives， and roll upon roll of undeveloped film in a storage locker he bought at auction。 They revealed a surprising and accomplished artist and a stunning body of work， which Maloof championed and brought to worldwide acclaim。
Vivian Maier presents the most comprehensive collection and largest selection of the photographer’s work—created during the 1950s through the 1970s in New York， Chicago， and on her travels around the country—almost exclusively unpublished and including her previously unknown color work。 It features images of and excerpts from Maier’s personal artifacts， memorabilia， and audio tapes， made available for the first time。 This remarkable volume draws upon recently conducted interviews with people who knew Maier， which shed new light on Maier’s photographic skill and her life。
Reviews
Frederico
，
The essay on Vivian Maier's life and photography is by Marvin Heiferman。 John Maloof is the curator and discoverer of Maier's estate。 Vivian Maier's work initially attracted me because of her eye for street life。 I was vaguely aware that she was a mystery。 Heiferman's essay is a concise but well formulated introduction to the joy and problems that Maier's photographs pose。 Her work is problematic because she took 150，000 photos， most of which she didn't even develop。 Why not？ Didn't she care？ Wa The essay on Vivian Maier's life and photography is by Marvin Heiferman。 John Maloof is the curator and discoverer of Maier's estate。 Vivian Maier's work initially attracted me because of her eye for street life。 I was vaguely aware that she was a mystery。 Heiferman's essay is a concise but well formulated introduction to the joy and problems that Maier's photographs pose。 Her work is problematic because she took 150，000 photos， most of which she didn't even develop。 Why not？ Didn't she care？ Was she really a great photographer or is her "eye" a product of John Mallow's editing and curation？ Would Maier appreciate that her work has become viral？ Why did her work become viral in the last decade？ The questions abound。 Heiferman's successfully explores the many layers that make her work rise from the "I like her pictures" to "such a fascinating phenomenon！" 。。。more
Márcio
，
Maybe this book should not exist。 The reason， as those who know the least about Vivian Maier， is that she never published any single photography in her whole life， and never stated anywhere that she wanted them published， least known。 Her life seems to indicate that photography was a private pursuit。 So， what is this book about？ Here is as follows: "In 2007， the contents of five storage lockers she had failed to keep up payments on were purchased sight unseen for $250 by Roger Gunderson， a Chica Maybe this book should not exist。 The reason， as those who know the least about Vivian Maier， is that she never published any single photography in her whole life， and never stated anywhere that she wanted them published， least known。 Her life seems to indicate that photography was a private pursuit。 So， what is this book about？ Here is as follows: "In 2007， the contents of five storage lockers she had failed to keep up payments on were purchased sight unseen for $250 by Roger Gunderson， a Chicago auctioneer。 He then divided up the boxes and trunks filled with Maier’s clothes， books， personal effects， and photographic work into multiple lots and sold them off to the highest bidders。" One of these people was John Maloof， who at first thought of selling it on eBay when the critic Allan Sekula advised him against it。 Maloof then did an effort to reunite the archive split among a handful of owners。In 2008， Maier， already at an old age， fell on the ice and could not recover。 She passed away in 2009。 It was when Maloof found out a single track about her and started his research on her life。 Most probably， she became known worldwide when Maloof released his documentary "Finding Vivian Maier"。 This was my case。The book looks forward to bring the most amount of information about her as possible but had to count on trick ways， trying to guess a lot of what the belongings left by Maier tried to tell of her life history。 As for us， we are also left with tricky options。 About to finish the book Maloof states:"While Maier made specific decisions about who would see the work during her lifetime， a clip from one of the audiocassettes she recorded suggests that she might have been sanguine about what ended up happening to the work after she died: “Well， I suppose nothing is meant to last forever，” she is heard saying in her distinct voice and with a knowing tone。 “We have to make room for other people。 It’s a wheel。 You get on， you have to go to the end。 And then somebody has the same opportunity to go to the end， and so on。” He also states that after the documentary trailer was released， someone posted on Facebook: "Her private passion。 Now it’s thrust into the world， how sad。" Jim Dempsey， who managed an art movie thearter in the 1980s and allowed her entrance for free in a time that she started having troubles to survive， said: “I don’t know anybody who would take this kind of energy and meticulousness and drive and all the struggle that it takes to create 。 。 。 and want that buried。 （。。。） This is one of those situations where there is not a right answer。 。 。 。 We just have to move forward with what we have， and we sometimes have to make decisions for people who can’t make decisions and you hope they are 。 。 。 the decisions that the main person involved would be happy with， and you just don’t know。”When one looks at the pictures she took， it is hard not to feel dazzled。 She is precise with a machine which either you had to focus right away in the scene you wanted to take or else it would be lost forever。 They are not only beautiful， but they also have an aura of their own， captivating。 If a work of art tells about the artist， then， Maier was/is to be praised， regardless of the fact that she might have never had the intention to make these photographs public。 Who knows？！ Looking at these pictures I felt constant awe， hoping that， if there is an afterlife， she might be joyful that we are peeping into her personal belongings。P。S。: Wikipedia tells me that "In 2017， the University of Chicago Library announced that a research collection of Maier images was donated by Maloof。" I hope this ends up with the legal challenges over her work。 I personally feel sad that it is sure that her French relatives who claim rights over her work didn't even know about her at all。 But money attracts people in so sad ways。 If her work is to be made into any kind of profit， then， that it might be made into the public in general， to be able to appreciate her art and make a prayer for such a splendid soul！ 。。。more
Pearse Anderson
，
Such a whimsical， fun series of square images。 I hate to compare them to Instagram， but it can have that sense。 I came here looking for Chicago images， so I was sad there was so much from NYC， but they were all lovely， really。
Donna
，
What a wonderful photographer！ Great bio of her along with a selection of her photographs。
Augustya
，
I must never forget that I am a photographer and for that I must always return to Vivian Maier。
Luca Trovati
，
La sua passione privata。 Adesso è rivelata a tutti; è triste。Ma che fortuna abbiamo avuto。 La sua passione privata。 Adesso è rivelata a tutti; è triste。Ma che fortuna abbiamo avuto。 。。。more
Julie Ivens
，
Amazing street photography， candids and portraits。
Ionut Trufin
，
The first part of the book gives some insight on the photographer's life。 The best part I think is being able to follow the evolution of images presented。 Although color photography appears occasionaly， it is clear that the artist expresses herself best in black and white。 It is interesting to see how composition seems to be intuitevely perfect in some cases。 It is also interesting to see how self confidence evolves when it comes to approaching subjects openly。 If you are interested in street ph The first part of the book gives some insight on the photographer's life。 The best part I think is being able to follow the evolution of images presented。 Although color photography appears occasionaly， it is clear that the artist expresses herself best in black and white。 It is interesting to see how composition seems to be intuitevely perfect in some cases。 It is also interesting to see how self confidence evolves when it comes to approaching subjects openly。 If you are interested in street photography， this book is one that should not be missed。 。。。more
Esther
，
I think I will be working my way through every Vivian Maier book at the library。 If I can find a good collection of her works second hand one day I'll be happy。 These huge hardback photography books are not cheap。 I think I will be working my way through every Vivian Maier book at the library。 If I can find a good collection of her works second hand one day I'll be happy。 These huge hardback photography books are not cheap。 。。。more
Ralph N
，
My introduction to the enigmatic street photographer Vivian Maier。 Though she took over 100，000 photos during the course of her life， she preferred to keep out of the limelight， which defies Freud’s definition of an artist seeking fame， money， and sex。 After flipping this book， I think my next step will be watching the documentary Finding Vivian Maier。
Edmund Davis-Quinn
，
I read through it twice， maybe the pictures 3 times。 Some really good work。It makes you wonder what other work might be lurking in storage units。And why she never decided to have it displayed in her life。Good companion book to the excellent documentary "Finding Vivian Maier。"***1/2 I read through it twice， maybe the pictures 3 times。 Some really good work。It makes you wonder what other work might be lurking in storage units。And why she never decided to have it displayed in her life。Good companion book to the excellent documentary "Finding Vivian Maier。"***1/2 。。。more
Cynthia
，
Exquisitely beautiful。 The story behind the photographs is as compelling as the photographs themselves。 If you have not seen the documentary Finding Vivian Maier， I can’t recommend that enough as a complement to this book。 Now I just want access to the rest of her 150，000 photographs。 I wish I could have known her - I think she’s a soul sister。
Mugren Ohaly
，
I absolutely love Vivian Maier。John Maloof is an asshole for fabricating information about her life and for profiting off of her life and work。
lorinbocol
，
c'è qualcosa di impudìco nel nostro scandagliare la vita di vivian maier。 perché anche se ogni elemento della sua storia sembra fatto apposta per alimentare l'alone di mistero che la circonda， e quindi la nostra curiosità postuma sulla "bambinaia fotografa"， il suo tratto principale fu la circospezione。 quel riservato tenersi fuori da un circuito mediatico del quale avrebbe benissimo potuto far parte。era dai tempi di mary poppins che una nanny non godeva di tanta celebrità， e maier faceva qualco c'è qualcosa di impudìco nel nostro scandagliare la vita di vivian maier。 perché anche se ogni elemento della sua storia sembra fatto apposta per alimentare l'alone di mistero che la circonda， e quindi la nostra curiosità postuma sulla "bambinaia fotografa"， il suo tratto principale fu la circospezione。 quel riservato tenersi fuori da un circuito mediatico del quale avrebbe benissimo potuto far parte。era dai tempi di mary poppins che una nanny non godeva di tanta celebrità， e maier faceva qualcosa di altrettanto non convenzionale che volare con l'ombrello。 scattava in continuazione con la sua rolleiflex， in silenzio e sempre pronta a catturare il dettaglio。spesso portava con sé in giro per chicago i bambini di cui si occupava: loro la adoravano e la guardavano perplessi。 alcuni hanno ricordato l'imbarazzo di assistere mentre "miss maier" fermava con l'obiettivo la normalità di scene che oggi la rendono una delle figure più interessati della fotografia di strada americana dagli anni '50 in qua。 del resto， è （quasi） impossibile non lasciarsi sedurre dal personaggio。 la silhouette vagamente allampanata che compare negli autoritratti dentro le vetrine， i capelli fermati dalla molletta， le scarpe stringate e i vestiti inusuali che di lei han fatto dire sembrava «quasi una suora， un'operaia sovietica， una guardia carceraria o una lesbica»。ha lasciato un archivio di 150mila immagini， molte in rullini che nemmeno faceva stampare e trasportava di casa in casa dentro agli scatoloni。 altri li lasciava in depositi di cui a un certo punto non è più riuscita a pagare l'affitto。 è così che il suo tesoro è finito all'asta （insieme ad oggetti personali alcuni dei quali molto bizzarri: c'era in lei qualcosa dell'accumulatrice seriale） ed è così che si è creato il suo mito: nel 2007 john maloof ha comprato per 38 $ circa 30mila negativi e un piccolo caravanserraglio di oggetti。 ha tentato di venderli su ebay ma è stato intercettato da un critico d'arte che gli ha consigliato di indagare meglio sull'autrice。 è risalito definitivamente a lei proprio quando se ne era andata， grazie all'annuncio mortuario pubblicato da una famiglia presso cui aveva lavorato。di lì a pochi mesi， il velo su questa straordinaria donna era stato alzato。 resta un po' il disagio di pensare che mentre oggi - tra ingaggi da amministratore delegato e gossip sulle relazioni non strettamente convenzionali col datore di lavoro - le babysitter sono il soggetto più monitorato nell'entourage delle celebrities， nel caso di maier anche il mestiere che si era scelta sembrava frutto di un bisogno di restarsene dietro le quinte。 e che perdita sarebbe stata， però。 。。。more
Zioluc
，
Vivian Maier è la bambinaia fotografa che è morta senza avere ottenuto né soprattutto cercato la fama che meritava。Il libro presenta una buona selezione di foto e una introduzione di Marvin Heiferman che tocca tutti i temi giusti。 Resta soprattutto il fascino di una figura per niente facile da interpretare。
Kim
，
I love her photographs， and her story。 Never get tired of looking at them。 Treated myself to this book after asking for it （fruitlessly） for birthday and Xmas！
Richard Archambault
，
I love her photography。 I acknowledge that there's a bit of an odd media fascination with her story， but I can see why: unknown artist during her life， famous after death。 Just like Van Gogh; funny that I just read Van Gogh's Ear: The True Story， too！ Regardless， many of her pictures are magical。 I love her photography。 I acknowledge that there's a bit of an odd media fascination with her story， but I can see why: unknown artist during her life， famous after death。 Just like Van Gogh; funny that I just read Van Gogh's Ear: The True Story， too！ Regardless， many of her pictures are magical。 。。。more
Joni
，
street people lighted into icons
Микола
，
Якось дивно， але автор зазначеного видання — не автор тексту。 А скоріше голова авторського колективу。 Втім， всі деталі зазначено у виданні。Джон Малуф придбав на аукціоні частину фотоархіву та особисті речі Вівьєн Майер — жінки， що протягом життя фотографувала щонайменше як затятий аматор （а сучасні галеристи та колекціонери кажуть， як професіонал）， але ніколи не робила спроб вдатися до фотокар’єри。 Її знаменитість почалася з середини двотисячних， посмертно， коли сама історія фотографині （досить Якось дивно， але автор зазначеного видання — не автор тексту。 А скоріше голова авторського колективу。 Втім， всі деталі зазначено у виданні。Джон Малуф придбав на аукціоні частину фотоархіву та особисті речі Вівьєн Майер — жінки， що протягом життя фотографувала щонайменше як затятий аматор （а сучасні галеристи та колекціонери кажуть， як професіонал）， але ніколи не робила спроб вдатися до фотокар’єри。 Її знаменитість почалася з середини двотисячних， посмертно， коли сама історія фотографині （досить пересічна） поставила під питання наявні класифікації。 Знімки Вівьєн Майер （книжка це текст і альбом） не назвеш «творчістю аутсайдера» — це хороша， цікава， з історією і композицією вулична фотографія。 Однак чи хотіла б Майєр цієї слави？ Виставок？ Публікацій？ Чи це лише жага кураторів？ Ясно， що нині без коментаря будь-яке мистецтво не мистецтво （і навпаки）， але знімкам-то що？Треба сказати， що біографи зібрали досить багато інформації， як щодо людини， котра не мала публічного життя （та екаунтів у соцмережах）。 Однак багато деталей， важливих для розуміння творчого спадку Вівьєн Майер， залишаються в межах припущень。 Разом із тим， що ми отримали все висловлювання повністю， без процесу， одразу повним зібранням， ця неможливість повного витлумачення додає напруги всій цій історії —про жінку з фотоапаратом。 。。。more
Marty St。 George
，
Maier was a nanny who lived and worked at various places around Chicago （including at least a couple of jobs in my old home of Wilmette！）。 John Maloof bought a box of negatives at a rummage sale and once he started looking at the photos， decided that he had discovered a genius。 He tracked down additional boxes， to the point where he had over 100，000 negatives and prints。 （Mostly negatives; she printed very few shots。） She was truly a woman of mystery; she had an amazing eye but kept her skills t Maier was a nanny who lived and worked at various places around Chicago （including at least a couple of jobs in my old home of Wilmette！）。 John Maloof bought a box of negatives at a rummage sale and once he started looking at the photos， decided that he had discovered a genius。 He tracked down additional boxes， to the point where he had over 100，000 negatives and prints。 （Mostly negatives; she printed very few shots。） She was truly a woman of mystery; she had an amazing eye but kept her skills to herself。 She created a myth around her background， and had no true friendships。 In fact， the people who knew her best freely admitted that they felt like they barely knew her。As a former Chicago resident， I loved seeing the shots of familiar places， but her real skill was in shooting people。 Like any truly great photographer， she was able to take shots that penetrated the souls of her subjects。 Like most coffee table books， it's not cheap， but if you love 20th century American photography， it's well worth it。 。。。more
Vivienne Strauss
，
Each and every photograph a true gem。
R。K。 Cowles
，
4 1/2 stars
Andrea Engle
，
Curious photographer 。。。 interesting photographs 。。。
R
，
I still believe Richard Cahan's "Vivian Maier: Out of the Shadows" provides a better overview of the Vivian Maier story。 Sorry Maloof。 I still believe Richard Cahan's "Vivian Maier: Out of the Shadows" provides a better overview of the Vivian Maier story。 Sorry Maloof。 。。。more
Rel
，
It's difficult to take color photographs in the 20th century and not to have been influenced by William Eggleston， said someone。 Or they said something like that。 In a few shots， the color ones， you do see some Eggleston， though I'm pretty unclear on whether Vivian Maier ever saw William Eggleston's photography or not。 Seems unlikely。Wait， let me start over。 These pictures are by and large nothing like William Eggleston。 First of all， they're almost all B&W， and don't seem to me to reflect his a It's difficult to take color photographs in the 20th century and not to have been influenced by William Eggleston， said someone。 Or they said something like that。 In a few shots， the color ones， you do see some Eggleston， though I'm pretty unclear on whether Vivian Maier ever saw William Eggleston's photography or not。 Seems unlikely。Wait， let me start over。 These pictures are by and large nothing like William Eggleston。 First of all， they're almost all B&W， and don't seem to me to reflect his aesthetic vision， particularly。 But the reason I mention him is。。。 I would think that their ideas were somewhat similar -- it just occurs to me that they would be。 I imagine neither of them ever photographed the same thing twice， which may or may not even be true。See， I just looked at the pretty pictures， and didn't read any of the words in the book （though I do know the context）。The way she lets you into her head with her pictures is really fun。 She doesn't mean， it seems， to tell you about herself， but in a way they're all self-portraits， which is pretty interesting （especially given her backstory）。 Yea， yea， I guess you can say that about any photographer， but it seems particularly true about this one。 Sometimes signs and logos appear， and it's fun to view these with a Warholian eye。 There are some great pictures of newspapers， well-dressed people， old ladies， shoes， children。。。 and lots of "self-portraits" that play around with the idea of what a self-portrait is。 I thought a lot about her 。。。 "aspirations" looking at these pictures。 I would call her oeuvre as a whole a masterpiece。 。。。more
Meagan
，
Not everything in this book was new to me。 I've read a couple of books about Vivian Maier/her photographs before， and I've seen the documentary about her， Finding Vivian Maier。 And let's face it - there's not much to know about her。 She's an enigma， which is part of the fascination。 But there is some new here。 This is the book that introduced Vivian Maier to me as more than a street photographer alone。 She also took portraits （although they didn't seem to be present here） and celebrity photos at Not everything in this book was new to me。 I've read a couple of books about Vivian Maier/her photographs before， and I've seen the documentary about her， Finding Vivian Maier。 And let's face it - there's not much to know about her。 She's an enigma， which is part of the fascination。 But there is some new here。 This is the book that introduced Vivian Maier to me as more than a street photographer alone。 She also took portraits （although they didn't seem to be present here） and celebrity photos at public events （which were）。 It was a surprise to turn the page in a book of Vivian Maier photos and see Lena Horne， or Audrey Hepburn。 But there you go。 This is also the book that introduced me to her photographs in color。 Up to this point， all of the popular work has been street photography in black and white。 It's interesting to see some of the diversity in her work。Oh - and last thing - the text argues that Vivian Maier didn't take photos to tell jokes or display irony。 Maybe that's technically true， but anyone who thinks Vivian Maier didn't have a sense of humor hasn't seen this photo， or this one。 Her sense of humor may be sly， but I swear I can see it in these images。 。。。more
Robin Goldblum
，
This book is amazing。 Not only is every photo completely engaging but the text is fascinating。 One of the best books of photograpy ever！！ Enjoyed book over the documentary of Maiers' life。 This book is amazing。 Not only is every photo completely engaging but the text is fascinating。 One of the best books of photograpy ever！！ Enjoyed book over the documentary of Maiers' life。 。。。more
Kate
，
Wow。 Inspiring， amazing， as much a detective story as the unlikely discovery of an unlikely master of American photographer。 Street photographer and nanny Vivian Maier was able， with her Rolleiflex， to capture the feeling and the people of 1950s-1970s NYC and Chicago。 A complicated and difficult person who hoarded tens of thousands of images on film， she was nonetheless also able to reach people and get them to pose for her on city streets。 Many of her most brilliant images are self portraits al Wow。 Inspiring， amazing， as much a detective story as the unlikely discovery of an unlikely master of American photographer。 Street photographer and nanny Vivian Maier was able， with her Rolleiflex， to capture the feeling and the people of 1950s-1970s NYC and Chicago。 A complicated and difficult person who hoarded tens of thousands of images on film， she was nonetheless also able to reach people and get them to pose for her on city streets。 Many of her most brilliant images are self portraits also。 John Maloof's story of discovering her negatives and bringing them to the attention of the art elite are almost as interesting as the woman herself。 There is also an excellent documentary by john Maloof as well。 。。。more
Barbara Osterdock
，