BY GREG JONES
For those who don’t know the story of photographer Vivian Maier, you’re not alone, because it is a story that is still unfolding. In 2007, a cache of anonymous negatives was purchased from a Chicago Auction house by John Maloof, a then 26-year-old real estate agent and amateur historian. Maloof knew little about photography, but after viewing the negatives, which portrayed 50s and 60s era city scenes of Chicago and New York, he felt that he had stumbled upon something remarkable. As time went on he added to his collection, obtaining over 100,000 original negatives as well as rolls of undeveloped film. He had discovered the name of Vivian Maier early on in his research, but attempts to find her proved fruitless until the spring of 2009, when her obituary was printed in the Chicago Tribune.
Fast-forward two years, and her name and work have spread like wild-fire. From gallery shows to Youtube videos, an upcoming book and a documentary, it seems her death marked the beginning of a tremendous response to the photographs she made, practically in secret, for the better part of forty years. A string of gallery shows have sprung up in Chicago, New York, London, Hamburg, and most recently at the Stephen Cohen Gallery in Los Angeles.
The Stephen Cohen Gallery offers an excellent introduction to Maier’s legacy. Upon entering the space the viewer is immediately greeted with four images; three portraits and a self-portrait, which typify the world that Maier so eloquently captured. Her street portraits, which make up the bulk of the show, are glimpses of characters that seem to be married to the streets of metropolis: A ticket-taker in a booth that’s glass reflects the glittering promise of city lights, an overcoat-clad bluesman with a dominant presence, an elderly woman storming down the sidewalk with her neck wrapped in pearls.
Her photographs are, in a word, flawless. Within the confines of the square format she used for the majority of her work, Maier composes her portraits and street scenes with a classical sensibility that goes straight to the heart of photographic illustration. Outside of the format itself it’s difficult to discern a distinguished visual style, yet she composed at the peak of conventional photographic vernacular.
The true treasures of the show are the images of the photographer herself; An impromptu self-portrait taken through a mirror in a Chicago city storefront, an image of her own cast shadow, and a peek-a-boo appearance in a frame packed with playing children. As her legacy continues to be defined, it is these images that give a face to the enigma that lies at the center of her story. By all accounts, Maier was an uncompromisingly independent woman; creative and quirky to the bone. The few details we so far know about her life, coupled with the very manner of how these images were subsequently discovered and brought to light, are contributing to a growing mythology of the her life and work. Both her mastery of the medium and the sheer volume of work she produced lends to a Van Goghian credence of mystery and wonder of a peculiar character; One who went throughout her life recoding the pulse and character of her time, and with a seemingly stubborn persistence, ceaseless curiosity and an unquenchable bond with the streets.
Vivian Maier: Street Photograher will be on view at the Stephen Cohen Gallery in Los Angeles through November 12, 2011. For more information you may visit the website: stephencohengallery.com
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