I went to watch Finding Vivian Maier last night. It's a documentary telling the story of the discovery of the work of the New York born street photographer, and tries to piece together her story through interviews with those who crossed paths with her during her life.
For those unfamiliar with her story, Maier worked as a nanny throughout her life and, although she always carried a camera with her, no one had any idea that she had created this amazing body of work. It was only after her death, when someone bought a box of her negatives at auction without really knowing what it was, did it start to emerge.
It's not just the mystery of that story and her life, the fact is that her work is absolutely stunning. For me, even though only a portion of her work is currently accessible, it's already clear that she needs to be considered amongst the greatest street photographers, alongside people like Helen Levitt and Robert Frank.
If you get chance, watch the film, and certainly look up her work if you haven't come across it before. It is a rare and amazing thing to witness a great artistic talent being discovered in your time. It's a real shame that she wasn't recognised during her own lifetime, although the people who knew her seem to think she wouldn't have enjoyed it.
Interview with Finding Vivian Maier producer Charlie Siskel
Vivian Maier official website
I really like her photos. But the film was a bit on the depressing side. Still, I'm glad I watched it.
ReplyDelete