Chronicler of the Unseen: Vivian Maier at Fotografiska
On 18 September, Fotografiska Tallinn opens its major exhibition of the season, Vivian Maier: Unseen Work, making its Baltic and Nordic debut following successful runs at Fotografiska New York and Shanghai. The French-American photographer Vivian Maier remained unknown during her lifetime, but the chance discovery of her photographic archive brought her extraordinary talent to the world and posthumously established her among the great names of 20th-century photography.
Vivian Maier’s (1926–2009) story is one of the most remarkable in the history of photography. During nearly 40 years working as a nanny, she walked the streets of New York and Chicago with a camera around her neck, often accompanied by the children in her care. At the height of the American Dream, Maier belonged to an invisible working class and remained a quiet witness to the world around her.
Where others saw ordinary daily life, Maier saw an endless source of images, at times through a child’s eyes: colourful characters, fleeting encounters, strange coincidences and the tragicomic moments of everyday life. A quiet observer, she explored and documented post-war America from the 1950s to the late 1980s with an extraordinary instinct, creating a unique visual portrait of the era, with life itself in the leading role.
Maier’s vast archive, comprising more than 120,000 negatives as well as her own documentary films and audio recordings, only came to light after her death. Its chance discovery revealed both the extraordinary scale of her work and the strength of her talent.
“Vivian Maier’s story is extraordinary, but what matters even more is how powerfully her photographs speak even without knowing that story,”
The remarkable discovery of Maier’s body of work is also the subject of the acclaimed documentary Finding Vivian Maier (2013), which traces the chance discovery of her negatives and offers a glimpse into the photographer’s enigmatic character, pieced together largely through speculation and from the perspectives of those around her.
Vivian Maier’s world will remain open at Fotografiska Tallinn until 17 January.
Header: Vivian Maier. Self-Portrait, New York, NY, 1954 © Estate of Vivian Maier, Courtesy of Maloof Collection and Howard Greenberg Gallery, NY