Vivian Maier: Anthology
Curated by Anne Morin and produced by diChroma Photography, Vivian Maier: Anthology is the first UK show of the author.
Vivian Maier (1926-2009) has only recently been revealed as one of the most significant photographers of the 20th century. She was a professional nanny in New York and Chicago for over 40 years but took hundreds of thousands of photographs, which were found when her belongings went to auction in 2007.
From carefree children and glamorous housewives to the homeless and destitute, Maier’s portraits capture the highs and lows of everyday life. Street scenes with shop fronts, arcades and aerial shots use shadows and reflections to capture the improvised moments that make up a community. Smoldering furniture, abandoned toys, tangles of electric cables all set the scene as families, workers and commuters go about their daily business.
Maier presents a view of America that is as eclectic as it is intimate and piercing. Her craft and vision far surpassed that of any part-time hobbyist and although considered reclusive, she produced many experimental self-portraits. As with all her work, these images are infused with the wit, humor and deep sense of humanity that has attracted a cult following since Maier’s emergence after the Oscar-nominated documentary Finding Vivian Maier (2013).
The exhibition at MK Gallery features over 140 black and white and color photographs, as well as film and audio which reveal the breadth of Maier’s work and her fascination for observing and recording everyday life.
Accompanying the exhibition is also the book edited by Anne Morin: this full-career retrospective on the work of photographer Vivian Maier brings together a selection of key works from throughout her life and career.
Thanks to unpublished archives and recent scientific analyses, this retrospective volume sheds new light on Maier’s work as it documents the artistry of her photographic oeuvre. With texts by Anne Morin and Christa Blu¨mlinger, this detailed look at Maier’s entire archive is organized thematically into sections that cover self-portraits, the street, portraits, gestures, cinematography, children, color work, and forms. A valuable addition to the continuing assessment of Maier’s work, this book is a one-volume compendium of her most enduring images.
Vivian Maier: Anthology
11 June – 25 September 2022
MK Gallery – London, UK