Vivian Maier worked as a nanny and pursued photography as a hobby, capturing the streets of central Chicago and New York. Maier used a Rolleiflex twin lens camera to take candid and intimate photographs of people, urban structures, and children. She is widely celebrated for her technical skill and artistic vision.
Vivian Maier Prints For Sale (5):
Artist Biography
American street photographer, Vivian Maier (1926 – 2009) remained unknown during her lifetime, and her work only came to light in 2007 when it was purchased from an auction in Chicago. Having taken photographs consistently over the course of five decades, Maier left behind over 100,000 negatives. Her photographs include innovative self-portraits and humorous street scenes in both black and white and colour, which bear witness to everyday life in New York and Chicago, where Maier lived. Maier never showed her photography to anyone, and in later years became increasingly reclusive, keeping reels of photographic film in storage containers. The contents of Maier’s storage containers were purchased by several buyers at auction, including John Maloof, who has since dedicated himself to establishing her legacy.
Since the discovery of her work, Maier’s photographs have been the subject of several publications, international exhibitions and a documentary, ‘Finding Vivian Maier’, made in 2013. Maier died in Chicago in 2009.
© Estate of Vivian Maier, Courtesy of Maloof Collection and Howard Greenberg Gallery, New York
