Vivian Maier Developed: The Untold Story of the Photographer Nanny

by Ann Marks

The definitive biography that unlocks the remarkable story of Vivian Maier, the nanny who lived secretly as a world-class photographer, featuring nearly 400 of her images, many never seen before, placed for the first time in the context of her life.

Vivian Maier, the photographer nanny whose work was famously discovered in a Chicago storage locker, captured the imagination of the world with her masterful images and mysterious life. Before posthumously skyrocketing to global fame, she had so deeply buried her past that even the families she lived with knew little about her. No one could relay where she was born or raised, if she had parents or siblings, if she enjoyed personal relationships, why she took photographs and why she didn’t share them with others. Now, the full story of her extraordinary life is explored by the only person who has been given access to her personal records and archive of 140,000 photographs.

Based on meticulous investigative research, Vivian Maier Developed reveals the story of a woman who fled from a family with a hidden history of illegitimacy, bigamy, parental rejection, substance abuse, violence, and mental illness to live life on her own terms. Left with a limited ability to disclose feelings and form relationships, she expressed herself through photography, creating a secret portfolio of pictures teeming with emotion, authenticity, and humanity. With limitless resilience she knocked down every obstacle in her way, determined to improve her lot in life and that of others by tirelessly advocating for the rights of workers, women, African Americans, and Native Americans. No one knew that behind the detached veneer was a profoundly intelligent, empathetic, and inspired woman—a woman so creatively gifted that her body of work would become one of the greatest photographic discoveries of the century.

Genres: Biography, Photography, Nonfiction, Art, Biography Memoir, History, The United States Of America

357 pages, Hardcover

First published December 7, 2021

About the author

Ann Marks spent thirty years as a senior executive in large corporations and served as chief marketing officer of Dow Jones/The Wall Street Journal. After retirement, she put her research and analysis skills to use as an amateur genealogist and became inspired to unlock the mysterious life of photographer Vivian Maier. She has dedicated years to studying Maier’s archive of 140,000 images and is an internationally renowned resource on Vivian Maier’s life and work. Her research has been featured in major media outlets, including the Chicago Tribune, The New York Times, and the Associated Press. Marks lives in Manhattan with her husband and three children.

Reviews

[Jenny Lawson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fascinating companion to the documentary about Vivian Maier. A bit long at times though and I wish there were more photos included.

[Patricia Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book with reservations. The research, the index, oh my. I loved hearing about Vivan's travels, her family of origin, her alliances and her personality. My reservations: The Diagnosis of Vivian , her brother or anyone else except by a forensic crew. Certainly not by picking symptomatology . There are so MANY factors : Diagnosis of her brother was according to DSM I or II IF AT ALL. Those itty bitty manuals were largely devoted to a Dx of Neurosis or Psychosis, categories which are no longer included in present day massive manuals which identify specific diagnostic criteria. I wish Marks would have also consulted others as to this aspect of Maier's life... AS a Mental Health Professional of many years, I found this disturbing. NEVERTHELESS, The book is intriguing, enjoyable, and one I would recommend . Thank You Goodreads.

[Erik · Rating 4 out of 5]

In preparing to write Vivian Maier Developed, Ann Marks, former Chief Marketing Officer of The Wall Street Journal, spent the better part of a decade investigating the life of one of the 20th Century's greatest photographers to provide a first-of-a-kind look into the life of Vivian Maier.

In 2008 John Maloof stumbled upon a small collection of photograph prints and negatives at a storage facility foreclosure sale. Stunned by the incredible artistry of these photographs, which included pictures of people and things that populated urban landscapes, Maloof posted them to Flickr and an unknown photographer - Vivian Maier - was launched into the social imagination. For years people have known very little about Vivian Maier other than that she was an eccentric nanny and that she died only a year and a half after her pictures were discovered (and before anyone could speak with her). This left her fans in the dark about the woman who's photography has come to inspire the masses.

In Vivian Maier Developed, the curtain is pulled back on the elusive nanny photographer for the first time. Marks spent years digging through family records, interviewing Maier's charges, and traveling to the rural town in France from where Maier's family emigrated and in doing so was able to construct a complex story of a woman with a background of mental illness, family abuse, poverty, and yet also a woman who fought all odds to find happiness and artistry despite these circumstances.

I have been a fan of Vivian Maier since I first saw her photographs in 2009. Her work and ability to humanize the people she encountered on the street and subsequently photographed speaks to the passion she had for civil rights, the working classes, and those who society had otherwise forgotten. Despite her struggles with mental illness and a past that still remains relatively unknown, Vivian Maier Developed underscores that its protagonist was as incredible, fascinating, and unique a person as her photographs evidence. This book helped me understand someone I have always had a fondness for and in doing so led me to happiness and to tears.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes quiet lives echo the loudest.

[Ade · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent research into a compelling life story, unfortunately conveyed via some rather prosaic writing. Many great photographs accompany the text in thumbnail size, but the author often indulges in somewhat flowery interpretations of them that are questionable or unsupported, presumably in an effort to add some colour to the dry details of Maier's anonymous life. Some key revelations and diligent genealogical detail aside, for which Marks must be congratulated on her persistence, one feels that this has been rushed out ahead of the other forthcoming, likely more rigorous Maier biography.

[Kinga (oazaksiazek) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wszystko wskazuje na to, że ta książka trafi do mojej topki 2024 roku.

Angażująca, dobrze napisana, interesująca. Opowiada o ogromnej pasji i kobiecie, która zawalczyła o swoje marzenia.

Zdjęcia Vivian Maier wspaniałe a autorka wykonała kawał dobrej roboty podczas zbierania materiałów.

Bardzo polecam!

[Bonnie Irwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I wanted to quibble, I'd say that the early chapters of this book are a bit slow moving, as Marks explores Ms, Maier's ancestry, but the time spent on her grandparents and parents pays off later on when we consider how Vivian lived through her adulthood. Hardly becoming very close to her charges, she worked as a nanny, but thrived as a photographer. the photos that Marks includes in this volume are a good representation of the variety of Maier's work, from early landscapes to portrait and street photography, as well as her foray into color. Most haunting are the self portraits. Perhaps Marks goes to far in her diagnosis of Maier's behavior, but given the evidence, her conclusions make sense.

[Karen Kirsch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great research into a mysterious artist!

[Yurii Naumovych · Rating 5 out of 5]

Найнеймовірніша історія фотографа за останні роки. Порушує і намагається надати відповіді на багато цікавих проблем. Що є творчість, яка мета творця, митця - стати відомим, чи все таки творити. Чи вправі ми після смерті і відсутності волі автора досліджувати і опублічнювати його-її доробок? Грунтовне, детективно геніалонічне дослідження Вівіан Маєр.

[Sean Elliot · Rating 4 out of 5]

For anyone, especially photographers, familiar with the basics of Vivian Maier's story, this detailed biography is an absolute must-read. Thankfully that urgent aspect did not lead to any disappointment. I will admit to having been marginally skeptical when I saw that the author is a former corporate marketing executive (albeit in the media industry, suggesting the written communication skills were at least part of the job). Marks is also, and this is where the rubber meets the road, an avid amateur genealogist with a clear talent for the research, and a gift for patience, and thoroughness. For those not familiar, Maier, "the photographer nanny", as opposed to a nanny photographer (someone who photographs nannies), has skyrocketed into photographic notoriety entirely posthumously, having labored at her craft entirely in obscurity (and largely under cover of a level of mental illness issues that made it essentially necessary for her) for most of her life. Most of her employers were familiar with her photographic interest, but pretty much entirely unaware of her talent and evident passion. It was only after her passing that her work came to light. Shortly before her death the contents of several storage containers of her belongings were auctioned off for her non-payment, and a significant portion of the body of her work came into the possession of two men, neither particularly (if at all) knowledgable about photography, who were only able to put a name and some details of identity to the creator of the work they had purchased after Maier had died. One of those collectors, John Maloof, produced a documentary film, which was nominated for an Oscar, about the discovery and what he had learned titled Finding Vivian Maier. That film is well worth your time. As is the photo book published by the same title. A fairly strong consensus exists that Maier was indeed a significant talent in the style of street photography she practiced, having a gift for capturing intimate moments, icon streetscapes, and a series of remarkable self-portraits all with fairly minimal training and all while working her entire life as a caregiver for an array of families, primarily in and around Chicago. I have spent most of my life very active in the photojournalism community, which is very near adjacent to street photography and Maier appears to have had some photojournalism sensibilities herself, and became aware of Maier as soon as the story hit the news media. I have long owned Vivian Maier: Street Photographer. I have always marveled at the subtle intimacy of her work. Marks' biography is a brilliant work of research as well as a marvel of narrative crafting. Maier had been gone for years before Marks embarked on her effort. Through fastidious research, digging through some of the most obscure genealogical archives, as well as records from some truly obscure sources (Maier's brother was incarcerated at a school for juvenile delinquents as well as having been dishonorably discharged from the Army) to glean some of the most mundane facts to draw a picture of the influences in Maier's life. Marks managed to talk to a remarkable number of people who actually knew Maier, including family from France, and the, now elderly, children she had cared for decades and decade ago. Maier suffered from what appear to be several mental illnesses, arguably the one for which we benefited most was the hoarding disorder that led to so many self-storage units full of work she created but never planned to share, and Marks does a credible job of posthumously diagnosing (with the help of actual mental-health experts) the various issues. I had initially feared that Marks writing might be too technical, but she manages to craft a compelling narrative of Maier's life, and thanks to a lot of very good interviews with photographic experts also does a good job of relating the kind of details necessary for photo aficionados to really enjoy. Marks spends good time dissecting many issues, questions of how Maier would have felt about the wide dissemination of her work, the ethics of those efforts, as well as all sorts of legal wrangling around Maier's estate and the intellectual property rights around her work. Marks' appendices tell the stories of her research, and some backstory to subjects of some of Maier's work, and/or the people who supplied valuable interviews to the narrative. The only thing close to a criticism I can muster is that far too many of the photographs in the book are published far too small, and some are printed on pages significantly removed from the text that describes/discusses them. This is a significant quibble for a photographer, who interprets much of my world through the visuals I consume (as well as those I myself create). I suppose I might have been less likely to want to read the text if presented in a large format photo book, or perhaps the publisher simply was not willing to shoulder the expense of such a book. Nonetheless, this book would have been significantly better in a coffee table book format. In the end, one need not be a photographer for this book to be enjoyed. One must at least enjoy good photography though. A fascination with genealogy and genealogical research would also be a good entry point, as Marks' efforts on that front are remarkable in both the detail she found as well as the prose she crafted from it.

[Lectoralila · Rating 5 out of 5]

Como biografía me parece muy completa

[Géraldine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Il s'agit d'une biographie, illustrée de ses photos, de la photographe Vivian Maier. Le titre français est "Vivian Maier révélée : une femme libre"

Selon moi, le livre peut se diviser en plusieurs parties.

La première s'attache au cadre familial, généalogique. Vivian Maier a des origines françaises par sa mère. Ann Marks fait démarrer l'histoire familiale à un drame : une naissance hors mariage. De cet évènement va découler l'émigration aux Etats-Unis, et un mal-être familial sur plusieurs générations. Vivian Maier vient donc d'une famille dysfonctionnelle, et fut une petite fille mal aimée par une mère instable. Selon Ann Marks, ceci expliquerait la personnalité de Vivian Maier, son besoin de marquer sa présence par des autoportraits, par son ombre photographiée telle sa signature sur le monde, et aussi son côté renfermé, autoprotecteur, qui fait que la majorité de ses photos ne fut pas développées. Cette première partie se lit presque comme un roman familial à part et est passionnante !

La seconde partie déroule la vie de Vivian selon ses embauches comme nanny de durée plus ou moins longue, ses voyages, sa pause carrière pour faire un tour du monde, etc. Le tout est illustré de photos. Cette partie est moins intéressante tout simplement car la vie de Vivian n'est pas très variée.

La troisième partie pose la question de l'Oeuvre et de son devenir.
Pour être considérée comme œuvre d'art, une photo doit avoir été développée et post traitée par le photographe. Une planche contact ou un film non développé, ou par d'autres, n'ont pas valeur artistique. Or, Vivian Maier à très peu développé ses clichés. Mais est exposée dans le monde entier. Peut-on donc considérer ses photos comme de valeur artistique ? Et,si on les developpe, comment ? Sachant que Vivian Maier souffrait du syndrome d'accumulation et prenait des photos de manière compulsive, notamment des pages de journaux une par une, quelle est la part créative et la part maladive de ses photos ? Ann Marks insiste (un peu trop à mon idee), sur la maladie mentale de Vivian Maier, sorte de tare familiale, qui rendrait son travail de moindre qualité, puisqu'elle n'aurait pas eu de projet artistique mais une compulsion. Cependant, elle met aussi en lumière les tentatives de Vivian pour se professionnaliser. Faut-il "seulement" la considérer comme documentaliste de son temps ? Ces questions sont passionnantes.

Ann Marks écrit aussi rapidement sur les découvreurs de Vivian Maier qui sont suspectés d'être des pilleurs d'œuvre à but mercantile. Cela s'avère faux, dit-elle, sans beaucoup s'étendre.

Enfin, une dernière partie du livre explique quelques faits d'enquêtes. Comment Ann Marks à retrouvé certaines personnes photographiées par Vivian, via des bases de données et documents.

Au final, c'est un livre passionnant, bien écrit, très bien documenté (Ann Marks est généalogiste) par une passionnée. Vivian Maier en ressort un peu plus dévoilée, avec ses côtés sombres (un brin paranoïaque, coléreuse, maniaque, asociale, solitaire, dure, brutale, intrusive,) et clairs (excellente éducatrice attachée aux enfants, drôle, franche y compris avec ses employeurs, intéressée par son époque, par les autres, défenderesse des minorités, féministe, voyageuse).

[Sonia Schoenfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Vivian Maier's photographs were released to the public some 15 years ago, no one knew much about her. She had been a nanny in Chicago and had a passion for "street photography," taking pictures along the streets of Chicago in the late 20th century. She was hailed as a master of her craft but her past remained a mystery. One person described her as "a free spirit but also a proud soul." Ann Marks has done an amazing job of researching Vivian and telling her story. Marks interviewed many people from Maier's past, including the children she cared for. Marks has also opened up Maier's life in France and New York City. I was blown away by the research she did and the stories she told. If anyone has any interest at all in Vivian Maier or her photographs, read this book. For me the only drawback was that sometimes the author seemed to veer off into psychoanalysis, but given the subject matter it's understandable.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Several years ago, I had an opportunity to watch the documentary, “Finding Vivian Maier”. I was just amazed by the fact that her amazing body of work was found quite accidentally by people who bought her photos, negatives and undeveloped film in an auction of items found in her unpaid storage space. Vivian Maier had been a nanny both in New York City and Chicago. But who was Vivian Maier? This well-researched book gives readers some insight into Vivian’s life…her family, personality, habits and interests. At times, I found the book to be a little too detailed; but, the photos included in the book were extraordinary. Vivian Maier had an incredible talent that is only now being recognized and appreciated.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember so well when Vivian Maier burst upon the scene. Her photography was so striking, and her life story so lonely, so sad. This book does her a great service by delving deeply into her family background and her real life - not speculation. I didn't really plan on reading the whole book, I thought I'd just leaf through and enjoy her pictures, maybe glean a few insights. Instead I was hooked from the first page. It reads like an expanded version of "Finding Your Roots," so if you enjoy that show you'll love this book. Instead of a poor soul who went through life with no one, the author dug and dug until she discovered the connections Vivian made throughout her years. Definitely she had challenges and a life made more difficult from some undiagnosed disorders, but she coped, she used her talent, and she largely lived the life she wanted. I can imagine that she's thrilled with how it all turned out. She now has the recognition she deserved but she didn't have to deal with the social upheaval that came along with it.
Kudos to the author for her years of hard searching to find out Vivian's real story. At the end she gives all sorts of tips for searching for people and connections, giving real examples from the book. Amazing perseverance on her part!
She also goes through the various disputes that happened after Vivian became popular, and the disgust that was thrown at the two men who discovered her picture trove, as if they were somehow taking advantage of her. If not for them, Vivian's photography would have been lost to the trash heap instead of being regaled.

[Katika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zdjęcia są genialne i warte każdej gwiazdki. Świetne kadrowanie, uchwycenie chwili, tematyka, oko do detalu, powracające motywy, wrażliwość na tematy społecznie ważne. Zdjęć jest w książce dużo i warto je smakować.
Tekst jest ciekawym uzupełnieniem, ale mam do niego kilka zastrzeżeń. Czasem składnia wydawała mi się dziwna, nie wiem czy to wina tłumaczenia, czy oryginału, ale nie czyta się tej książki łatwo. Historia, którą opowiada wypełniłaby dłuższy artykuł, a kolejne strony i wątki nie wnoszą wiele do odbioru zdjęć. Niania, która robiła świetne fotografie. Niewiele więcej jest tu do powiedzenia, choć doceniam mrówczą pracę autorki nad odkopaniem źródeł, to wiele jej odkryć nie ma większego znaczenia w kontekście zdjęć, a część wniosków odbieram jako hipotezy, których nie da się już potwierdzić.

[Mystic Miraflores · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had never before heard of Vivian Maier and I love reading about previously unknown fascinating people. Vivian's life story really sounded like a novel. Could such a complex and rich life with a dark family history and peripatetic living situations be true! I was satisfied to see that it could be. She was a seemingly unremarkable person with a truly remarkable and undiscovered talent. I appreciate Ms. Marks deep and thorough digging into Vivian's life and her perseverance in tracking down Vivian's relatives, few friends, and the children she had taken care of. I also liked the intense psychological theories about what made Vivian take photographs and her mental illness. Now I want to track down the documentaries about Vivian.

[Zaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, with a lot of work put into researching Vivian's life and family history. It was interesting to have a background with so much depth, even if a part of it will never be completed. Vivian's family was kind of a nightmare, but she succeeded to build a nice life for herself, even if she struggled with relationships and mental health. I found the whole a lot more positive than the older documentary Finding Vivian and it was nice to see how much she seemed to enjoy taking photos. Some of them are displayed in the book, helping to understand events, and as usual with her photography, I found them interesting. The writing style and the chronology were pretty good, keeping me invested in the read, its people and events.

[Adrienne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thankfully Ann Marks did not overwhelm us with her obviously intense and thorough research into Vivian Maier and why she remained unknown in her lifetime. Marks unravels a genealogical mystery and Maier's apparent reclusive nature. She also highlights her amazing natural ability and gives ample evidence, including her photography and commentary on it. The answers aren't necessarily surprising, mostly sad, but it's an interesting read, especially if you appreciate her work or have seen one of the documentaries about her.

[Leo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un travail passionnant mais qui manque cruellement d’une perspective féministe.

[James Shipma · Rating 5 out of 5]

incredible research from ann marks to uncover a fascinating story of one of the most talented photographers of the 20th century. a delightful read.

[Jean Borel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Si le style est un peu austère., le livre n'en est pas moins remarquable. Il est porté par les photos de vivian maier. Cette bio pose la question d'une oeuvre, son artiste et sa vie!

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wish there were more books like this

While the family relationships are quite complicated and hard to remember, it is fabulous to follow the photographer, Vivian Meier, through her life with photos from each segment. And, it is great that it is written by a photographer who understands of what she speaks.

[maddie (thenmaddieread) · Rating 4 out of 5]

An exhaustively researched biography of Vivian Maier provides much more information on the famously private street photographer. Although it's a bit long at points (there's almost as much information on her ancestors as there is on her), it flows well and is nicely broken up by photographs. Marks' analysis of Vivian's behavior as a nanny likely could have used a little more nuance. I generally find attempts by professionals to diagnose a person they've never met, particularly a deceased person with very little personal information left behind, fairly problematic and while I don't disagree that there was certainly evidence of mental illness here I could have done without their diagnoses in this book. Marks takes special care to emphasize Vivian's forward-thinking political and social beliefs, and I would have appreciated more time being spent on them, especially since they're restated without additional analysis or information in the appendix.

As ever, Vivian's collection raises questions about ownership, copyright, and privacy, which I think can be extended out to amateur and/or outsider art writ large. The author concludes that Vivian would be proud to have her work displayed after her death, and while I agree, I don't think she'd want it being displayed as it is now. There's a bit in the appendix where Marks writes about how developing, editing, and cropping photographs is basically as intrinsic to the art form as setting up the shot is, and I agree - particularly given all the evidence that Marks presents about Vivian being thoughtful about cropping. Still, there's no doubt that Vivian was a groundbreaking photographer, and I'm grateful her work was discovered.

Thank you Atria and NetGalley for the ARC!

[Maura Gancitano · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nata a New York, ma di origini francesi, Maier ha lavorato come bambinaia per tutta la vita, coltivando in segreto una straordinaria vocazione per la fotografia di strada.
Pochi anni fa i suoi rullini sono stati ritrovati per caso nel corso di un'asta pubblica, rendendo i suoi scatti famosi in tutto il mondo.

Ann Marks ha condotto per sette anni una ricerca
genealogica incredibile per ricostruire la storia familiare di Maier e rispondere alla domanda a cui in questi anni tantissime persone non hanno trovato risposta:
"Perché Vivian Maier ha nascosto il suo talento
straordinario?"

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

The fascinating life of Vivian Maier was troubled, inspiring, sad, happy and creative. The author captures the complicated life in this excellent biography.

[Mikey B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vivian Maier was a peculiar person. The following statistics of her photographs is symptomatic of weird (from page 2 of my book).

Few of the 140,000 images they (the buyers from the estate of Vivian Maier) had purchased were prints; most existed as negatives or undeveloped film… she had only seen 7,000 of her photographs, the number that existed in hard copy. In fact, 45,000 exposures had never been developed.

Her ancestry was in the Alps region of France (Champsaur Valley). Her grandmother moved to the U.S. at the turn of the 19th century and worked as a cook in the homes of the wealthy. She had a positive influence on her granddaughter; Vivian’s parents abandoned her at a young age, and she hardly knew her younger brother.

Vivian started taking photos in New York City, and then moved to Chicago. She worked as a nanny, looking after rich people’s children in both New York and Chicago. Sometimes her position would last only a few months, but at other times for a number of years. In all cases she would live in a room supplied by parents of the children in her care.

The results of the many interviews the author had with the now grown-up children she looked after, and those who knew Vivian, would vary. She sometimes got along very well with the children, to the extent of being invited to their lavish summer homes. In one instance, she vacationed across the U.S. with one family. She would try to introduce the children in her care to the many facets of life in the big city, taking them on excursions to museums and sometimes to less savory places like the slaughter houses of Chicago.

Including the children, there were some who found her aloof and foreboding.

She would always use her time off to take photos – and as this book amply demonstrates, she took a wide variety of different pictures – from street photos to celebrities.

She took time off in the late 1950s to journey across the globe – to Hong Kong, Thailand, India, Egypt and then Europe, and taking photos all the time.

I did wonder where the money was coming from. Film is not cheap, and for the most part Vivian did not do her own developing.

While living in New York, she attempted to market her pictures, but was unsuccessful. In Chicago, while constantly working as a nanny, she became more of a recluse and became a hoarder. Vivian had stacks of newspapers and magazines piled up in the room that was provided by the people she worked for, to the extent that she hardly had room to sleep. She would bolt the door to prevent her employers and their children from entering. Eventually, Vivian rented storage facilities to keep all her stuff – and became unable to pay the rental fees.

Vivian had few friends, but on occasion would talk non-stop with people she encountered. Some of her “friends” did not even know her name. The author gives us an in-depth psychological analysis of Vivian Maier – much of this influenced by her neglectful parents. As she got older, she displayed more and more a lack of empathy, which can be detected in the photos she took. Her photos can be intrusive, but she did not permit any kind of this intrusiveness in her own life. She could push back rudely on any kind of personal inquiry.

This book is a fascinating study of the inner life of Vivian Maier, and I did appreciate the scrutiny of the photographs taken and their meaning. Some of the photos in the book are quite small, hardly being an inch or so in length. I did feel the author over-emphasized Vivian Maier’s devotion to social causes like civil rights, women’s rights… Obviously, Vivian Maier was an independent woman, but I didn’t sense she participated or was devoted to social causes.

[Wojciech Szot · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Monidło mogło oznaczać nobilitację, symboliczny awans, dawać poczucie, że się wreszcie zasługuje na obraz malarski - unikalny i piękny - na coś, czym można dodać sobie znaczenia, co pomaga fantazjować o lepszym poziomie życie”, pisze Agnieszka Pajączkowska w książce o chłopskiej fotografii.

Kto z Państwa ma w domu monidła dziadków, albo rodziców? A może ktoś ma swoje? Monidło, podobnie jak drukowane “święte” obrazy były honorowymi ozdobami chłopskich chat w XX wieku, a i pewnie niektóre dotrwały do naszej codzienności. Warto spojrzeć na nie jako dokumenty epoki, opowieść o aspiracjach, marzeniach i lękach. Tak robi Pajączkowska i ja wam bardzo lekturę jej książki polecam.

Oprócz “Nieprzezroczystych”, ukazała się właśnie bardzo ciekawa acz niezbyt dobrze wydana (co za okropny papier!) biografia Vivian Maier. Ann Marks w „Vivian Maier. Niania, która zmieniła historię fotografii” (tłum. Tomasz Macios) przez chwilę pisze o czymś, co dzięki książce Pajączkowskiej chętnie przeniósłbym z trzeciego na pierwszy plan.

Zatem nim znajdziemy się na polskiej wsi tuż przed II wojną światową, zajrzyjmy za ocean.

Ponoć nowożeńcy mieli ze sobą niewiele wspólnego poza trudnym charakterem. On - inżynier w fabryce ciastek. Ona - guwernantka i służąca w domach bogatych Amerykanów. Czas - lata 20. XX wieku. Gdy urodziła się im córka o ładnych imionach - Vivian Dorothy - przez krótką chwilę wydawało się, że dożyją wspólnej starości. Rok później on porzuca rodzinę. Mija kilka lat i ona z córką wyjeżdża do rodzinnej Francji.

Po sześciu latach, w 1938 roku, w przeddzień wojennej hekatomby, Vivan Dorothy Maier i jej matka wracają do Stanów Zjednoczonych. Dziewczynka o ładnych imionach nie pamięta już angielskiego. Na szczęście była - jak pisze jej biografka, Anne Marks - „inteligentna, dociekliwa i zaradna”. Namiętnie przyswajała wiedzę. Chodziła do kina, a książki i gazety wręcz pożerała, byle tylko nauczyć się angielskiego. Ta sama pasja zdobywania wiedzy sprawiła, że została jedną z najsłynniejszych fotografek na świecie. Co prawda sława dopadła ją dopiero po śmierci, ale historia zna wiele takich przypadków.

Matka Vivian Maier, jak pisze Anna Marks, również fotografowała. „Kiedy [Viviane] w dzieciństwie mieszkała w dolinie, jej matka jako jedyna posiadaczka aparatu cieszyła się pewnym prestiżem”, pisze Marks. Biografka przechodzi do opisania narodzin fotograficznej pasji u Vivian, ale my zatrzymajmy się przy tym zdaniu.

Jesteśmy w latach 30., na francuskiej prowincji. Matka Vivian żyje skromnie, pomaga jej siostra, która została w Stanach i pracuje w domach najbogatszych nowojorczyków. Ale matka Vivian ma aparat. I płynący stąd prestiż. Czy przychodzono do niej po zdjęcie? Czy gdyby przejść się po domach w Saint-Bonnet, można by znaleźć zdjęcia wykonane przez Marie Jaussaud? Czy robienie zdjęć było tylko pasją, czy zawodem? O słynnej córce i jej pasji powstały fascynujące książki, jej matka - jak tysiące innych wiejskich fotografek - pozostaje poza radarem historii.

[Sylvia Hertel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Die Nanny mit der Kamera

Klappentext:
Heute gehört sie zu den Stars der Straßenfotografie und muss den Vergleich mit Legenden wie Helen Levitt oder Diane Arbus nicht scheuen. Doch zu ihren Lebzeiten hat nie jemand auch nur ein einziges Foto von ihr gesehen. Vierzig Jahre lang hatte Vivian Maier als Kindermädchen gearbeitet und fast wie nebenbei 140 000 Fotos geschossen. Ein beeindruckendes Werk, das sie bis zu ihrem Tod nie jemandem gezeigt hatte. Seit dem sensationellen Zufallsfund ihrer Bilder bei einer Zwangsversteigerung 2007 und der Oscar-nominierten Dokumentation Finding Vivian Maier gingen ihre Fotografien um die Welt, wurden von Kritik und Öffentlichkeit gefeiert und in allen namhaften Galerien ausgestellt. Fotos von den Straßen Frankreichs, Hongkongs, New Yorks und Chicagos der 1950er, 60er und 70er Jahre, die von großer Empathie, von Humor und von einem so feinen Gespür für Licht, Symmetrie und Farben zeugten, dass es schlichtweg unglaublich scheint, die Frau hinter der Kamera sei eine mysteriöse Eigenbrötlerin gewesen. In ihrer sorgfältig recherchierten Biographie nähert sich Ann Marks einer Frau, die vor der elterlichen Zurückweisung, vor Gewalterfahrungen, vor den Sucht- und Geisteskrankheiten ihr Familie geflohen war und ihre Liebe zur Fotografie entdeckte. Es ist eine große Erzählung von Selbstbestimmung, Mut und unbestechlicher Kreativität.

„Das Leben der Vivian Maier“ von Ann Marks ist die Biografie einer begabten Fotografin die ihren Erfolg nicht mehr erleben durfte.

Die Erzählung beginnt 2007 bei einer Zwangsversteigerung. Jan Maloof ersteigerte Kisten mit Fotos um sie vielleicht für ein Buchprojekt verwenden zu können. Schnell wurde ihm klar welchen Schatz er da gefunden hatte. Die Fotografien konnten nicht zugeordnet werden, es war zwar ein der Name Vivian Maier vermerkt aber keine Adresse.
Erst als er eine Todesanzeige in der Zeitung las wusste er, dass die Bilder von der Nanny Vivain Maier gemacht wurden.

40 Jahr lang hat Vivian Maier als Kindermädchen gearbeitet. Ihre Leidenschaft war das Fotografieren. So sind fast 140000 Aufnahmen entstanden.

In ihrem Buch erzählt Ann Marks zum einen über das Leben der Vivian Maier aber auch davon, was die Bilder so genial macht.
Von ihren Eltern hat Vivian keine Liebe erfahren aber oft genug Gewalt. In der Familie gab es Suchtprobleme und Geisteskrankheit. Vivian hat die Familie verlassen und als Nanny gearbeitet.
Ihre Liebe hat sie dem Fotografieren geschenkt.

Mit dem Buch „Das Leben der Vivian Maier“ hat mir Ann Marks eine mir bisher unbekannt und so begabte Frau näher gebracht. Die Biografie wird mit zahlreichen Fotos die Vivien Maier gemacht hat untermalt.
So bekommt man noch mehr ein Gefühl für diese zu Lebzeiten völlig unbekannte Vivien Maier.

[Steve Payne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Through books, documentaries and exhibitions the story of the mysterious nanny whose pastime was wandering the city streets taking photographs has become more widely known.

The introduction begins with contradictory words from those who supposedly knew her best – American/French; Authoritative/Reserved; Caring/Cold; Feminine/Masculine; Nice/Mean; Polite/Brusque; Social/Solitary; Mary Poppins/Wicked Witch etc.

I am not one to be fascinated by the opening chapters to biographies – learning of parents and grandparents hold less interest for me than the last days of a person’s life, when we learn of what writers, painters, directors, whoever, were working on when they died and what we might have missed. But that’s me! So I struggled with the opening fifty pages of well researched, but ultimately dry ancestral fact. It does actually have relevance to the final chapters and her legacy, but I’m afraid it was still too much for me!

However, once Vivian has got out her camera, my interest is piqued. She must have been a very brave lone woman walking the streets (usually Chicago or New York) - often taking pictures in some rather dark and seedy places of some tough looking characters. She benefitted from the use of a Rolleiflex camera – the use of which involved looking down at the viewfinder which was held at waste-height. The result of this is that she did not have to aim at eye level so many people would have been unaware that she was viewing them, let alone secretly photographing them. The pictures are intrusive – yes, but richly fascinating. She was attracted to the beautiful and famous, the quirky and different, the battered, but also the funny and tender.

The oddest part of this story is that the photographs remained hidden to the world (even Vivian herself, who never bothered to print most of the 140,000 images) until after her death in 2008. In 2007 her photographs and haul of items (including many newspapers) went to auction when she could no longer afford to pay for storage. The main buyer was John Maloof, who soon shared images online (via flickr) where interest was immediately sparked. Over time Maloof became the main guardian of her work – buying even more photographs which he had missed in the original auction. Contrary to some bad-mouthing, the author here has nothing but good words for Maloof, whose obsessional interest in making known the works of Vivian Maier she says is genuine.

More has been discovered in the eight years between the Academy Award nominated documentary ‘Finding Vivian Maier’ in 2013 and the publishing of this book in 2021. Ultimately it is the photographs that are her legacy and (despite her mystery) are what fascinate. Fortunately there are hundreds of images here – including many that have now become famous.

Despite a lot of names, dates and ancestry in the heavy beginning, this is an enjoyable book that looks at the quirky life and work of this gifted photographer, gives voice to the people who knew her, and we discover the intriguing story of what happened to her work after her death.