Overview of vivian maier's life

Vivian maier 1926 was born in new york on February 1 0, 2000. His mother was a Frenchman named Maria Josaud Mayer and his father was an Austrian named Charles Mayer. When Vivian was 4 years old, her father broke up with them, and the reason was impossible to find out. In the 1930 census, the names of Vivian and her mother appeared, but the head of the household was a 49-year-old French woman, Jeanne Bertrand. Jenny Bertrand is a well-known and award-winning portrait photographer. She also knows Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, the founder of the Whitney Museum in new york. But no one knows the story of Jenny and Vivian.

Vivian's mother and daughter later went to France and lived there for a long time. It can be said that Vivian grew up in France. However, it is not clear where they live in France, what their experience is, and how Vivian likes photography. What we know is that Vivian boarded a ship for the United States from the French port of le havre on April 195 1. 10 days later, she arrived in new york when Vivian was only 25 years old. No one knows what Vivian has been doing in new york for five years. Only some photos of new york in marov's hand show that Vivian has started her photography career. Vivian's job-children's photography Vivian applied for the advertisement for a nanny advertised by Gensburg in 1956 newspaper to take care of her three sons. This was done in 167, and it was not until 1972 that the child grew up and became Vivian that he left his home in Gensburg. Vivian doesn't want to talk about her past, and no one knows why she came to Chicago to be a nanny. But Vivian is straightforward, never hides her views and opinions, and especially likes to comment on politics and movies. Gensberg's wife Nancy has the impression that Vivian is not interested in being a nanny, but she doesn't know what else to do. Mrs. Gensberg thinks Vivian is a tasteful and cultured lady. She looks like a Frenchman.

From 1956 to 1972, I worked as a nanny at Gensburg's house, which was Vivian's most stable 17. Mr. and Mrs. Gensburg respect her and the children like her. Vivian changed the toilet reserved for her into a darkroom. "We were not allowed into her darkroom," Overland Ginsberg recalled, "although we didn't want to go in".

I haven't heard that Vivian meets friends, and she doesn't have a boyfriend, let alone a husband. In the days when Vivian doesn't have to work, she either goes to the movies or locks herself in a dark room. At most, she takes pictures everywhere. Lu's camera around her neck became Vivian's classic image.

Vivian, a classic image, took all her things when 1972 left Gensburg's house, but never mentioned where she was going to be a nanny. Even when I visit Gensburg's children from time to time, I never mention where she works. Vivian's story is not complete, but it seems that she has been working as a nanny in the North Shore area of Chicago.

One of them is the famous TV presenter phil donahue. Dana Hugh moved her TV program to Chicago in 1974, and then separated and divorced her wife. Vivian has been taking care of four children at Danahue's house for less than a year. Unlike the Gensburg family, the children in this family don't like Vivian very much. They think she is an eccentric French woman. They take them to strange places and make terrible sandwiches. Dana Hugh/Kloc-James, the youngest son of 0/2 years old, remembers that Vivian often wandered around taking pictures and dressed a bit like Maria Trump (the prototype of the nanny in the sound of music). Dana Hugh also remembers Vivian often taking pictures, but he doesn't remember seeing them. "Once I saw her patting the inside of the trash can. I never thought what she did had any artistic value. " Dana Hugh said.

When Vivian went to Uskin's house in 1987, she took 30 years of photographs with her. Her husband Salman is a professor of mathematics at the University of Chicago, and his wife Karen Uskin is a textbook editor. They remember that when interviewing Vivian, she made it clear: "I have to tell you that I will use my life." My life is in a box. "Uskin told her no problem. They have a big garage at home. " To our surprise, Vivian really brought more than 200 big boxes. "They put her box in the warehouse. During the more than one year that she worked in their home, no one touched these boxes. Uskin remembers that she was kind to the children, but not so kind to others. Mrs. Karen felt that she didn't like buying expensive things: "I think Vivian is proud of being poor." "

From 1989 to 1993, Vivian took care of her disabled daughter at Federico Bellende's home. My impression of her is similar to that before: Vivian is very kind to his daughter; She piled hundreds of boxes in the basement; She likes to comment on movies and is also interested in discussing political topics.

After the Baird family, Vivian also worked in the Oak Garden family. Finally moved to Cicero's low-rent housing. When Ginsberg's second child Ryan and his younger brother Matthew reconnected with Vivian in the late 1990s, they insisted on putting Vivian in a nice apartment in Rogers Park. Ryan said, "We are relieved to know where she is." He thinks Vivian lived on a social security pension until her family helped her. But it seems that Vivian may have other income. At present, marov sometimes finds some stock certificates in Vivian's box, or some unpaid tax refund checks sent back by the Ministry of Finance, the amount of which exceeds 1000 yuan.

People in Gensburg often worry about Vivian. As usual, Vivian is not afraid of anything. She often walks around the poor security areas of Chicago late at night, chatting with the unemployed under the highway and teaching them how to get to the shelter. Vivian's works-Vivian traveled around the world alone during the six months from 1959 to 1960 on the beach.

Although Vivian doesn't talk much about her family, Gensberg remembers that Vivian inherited a small inheritance: part of a small farm in Alsace. Vivian cashed in her shares and used the money to go to Los Angeles, Manila, Bangkok, Beijing, Egypt, Italy, France, and then returned to new york. "If she wants to go somewhere, she will," recalls Mrs. Ginsberg, Nancy. "You don't have to ask her where she went. Of course, you can ask ... but Vivian is a very private person. " Around Christmas 2008, Vivian slipped and hurt her head in the city and was taken to the emergency room. Ryan said, "We thought she would make a full recovery." The Gensburg family helped find the best doctor. Later, they put Vivian in a nursing home in Rogers Park area so that they could visit her after work. Ryan and Matthew once picked up their mother to see Vivian and joked with her, "Did you bring The New York Times to Vivian? Do you want to bring her some coffee and ice cream? She likes coffee ice cream best. " Nancy sighed. "The children know Vivian too well. She is a very unique person. But she never felt anything special about herself. "

Vivian died in a nursing home in Rogers Park on April 20th, 2009. The children in Gensburg scattered Vivian's ashes in the Woods where Vivian took them to pick wild strawberries when she was a child, and spent many happy times together. In 2007, John marov, a real estate agent and flea market seller, bought a box of negatives and photos of vivian maier at a second-hand furniture auction, when he was looking for old photos for a brochure in a local park. It is said to be part of many old furniture and sundries sold at no rent in a civilian warehouse. Marov didn't find the photo he wanted. He can't take pictures. He didn't know what to do with these negatives and photos at first. Later, marov had time to sort out these negatives and photos carefully, and gradually became fond of photography. And consciously collect vivian maier's photos, negatives and films in the flea market.

Ron Slattery, a friend of marov's brother, has been collecting old photos. At the same auction in 2007, Slattery also bought a batch of vivian maier films. He also posted a photo of Meyer on his old photo website. At that time, no one knew who vivian maier was. Slattery, which is in dire straits, has no medical insurance. In order to pay the medical expenses, he sold most of his vivian maier films to marov for one dollar, *** 1000 volumes.

Marov No.1 * * has a collection of more than 100000 negatives, more than 2000 rolls of undeveloped film, 3000 photos and many 8 mm films. The time span is from 1960s to 1970s, and in 2009, after consulting photographers from several forums, marov established "vivian maier Photography Blog".

Jeff Goldstein heard about Malov's collection of vivian maier's photos from the flea market and joined the collection. He first bought 57 photos from Slattery, and then learned that other buyers bought a batch of negative photos of vivian maier at the auction in 2007. Goldstein finally found a buyer and bought those negative photos. At present, Goldstein has collected 65,438+02,000 negatives, 700 photos, 20 negatives and many negatives. The time span is about 50 to 70 years.

In this way, vivian maier's photography began to surface slowly. Its scale, quality and time span are shocking. Obviously, vivian maier, one of the most insightful street photographers in America, was finally discovered. Every new work published on the Internet will cause a sensation among her growing fan base. At the same time, vivian maier's street view works endow the city with vivid and unforgettable local characteristics and incredible moments. The characters in vivian maier's lens not only maintain their dignity, but also show their helplessness, nobility, failure, arrogance, fragility, kindness and sometimes ridicule. Compared with vivian maier, Harry Callahan is one of many photographers.

-The new york Times Lens Column Review.

There were not many women shooting on the street in 1950s and 1960s, so this is very meaningful and worthy of attention. Besides her legendary life story, I think she is also a very good photographer.

-The Chicago Sun Times. Lanny silverman.

Silverman firmly believes that vivian maier's works are better than anyone else. She shoots portraits, street life, children and abstract composition. She shoots everything in a style that thoroughly understands the history of photography. Vivian is very prescient. Some of her works remind me of Diane Arbus's works, but Vivian's works are far before Diane Arbus's. Vivian maier did many things beyond her time.

-The Guardian.

They are simple, resolute and tenacious. As a woman, Vivian is incredibly brave, wandering in those shabby and poor security places, and she is also very fragile. At that time, no one thought that women would be like this. But Vivian also has a gentle side, and sometimes Vivian is also very humorous. Her fresh and naive acceptance of everyone makes it hard not to like her works.

Joel meyerowitz.

She has a very direct, comprehensive and basic concept of the composition of the United States, which was ignored by photographers in the 1950s and 1960s. There are both the diversity of street life and the special vitality of civilians in street life. She combined herself with street life through the camera in a special way, which gave her a charming sense of presence. She has the ability to make others accept her, or at least tolerate her or ignore her, so the people she photographs behave naturally.

-American photographer Allen Secula.

Some critics don't think highly of Vivian's works. For example, Colin Westerbeck, a curator of photography in art institute of chicago and one of the leading experts in street photography in the United States, thought vivian maier's discovery was very interesting. "But looking back at the standards of street photography in the 1950s and 1960s, she is not outstanding. Vivian's works lack the irony and wit of her contemporary photographers such as Harry Callahan or Ishihara Taibo. " Westback admitted that he understood the attraction of vivian maier's works. "She is a little mysterious. The most striking thing about her film is that it captures the regional characteristics of Chicago in the past few decades. "

Others even suspect that the discovery of Vivian's works may be a kind of commercial speculation. But more media and critics still affirm the value of these photos and are glad to find so many historical photos.

There are no published works, but until now no one can explain why so many of her films have not been developed. Does she just like to shoot, like the sound of the shutter and don't care how to shoot it? Up to now, we still don't fully understand Vivian's life. We can only guess that Vivian really has no conditions to print her own films through stories we already know. Vivian's persistence and persistence in photography is beyond ordinary people's understanding, which increases the attraction and value of her works. So far, vivian maier's works have been exhibited in Denmark and Norway, and countless countries have reported the stories of Vivian's works in newspapers.

The Chicago Cultural Center held the first vivian maier Photography Exhibition in the United States from October 7 to April 3 on 201kloc-0/65438/kloc-0.

Russell Bowman Art Consultant also held a photo exhibition in vivian maier from April 6th to June 6th, 2005.

Vivian maier's works will also be exhibited at the London Street Photography Festival 20 1 1 on July 24 this year.