Vivian Maier

Secret street photographer whose extraordinary work reshaped 20th-century art posthumously

Vivian Maier (1926–2009) redefined street photography through 150,000 unseen negatives discovered after her death as a nanny. Her work captures raw urban humanity with compositional brilliance rivaling Henri Cartier-Bresson, yet she never exhibited a single photo during her lifetime.

Using a Rolleiflex camera, Maier documented Chicago and New York's marginalized communities – homeless individuals, immigrant workers, and children playing in rubble. Her self-portraits in reflective surfaces reveal an artistic self-awareness decades ahead of conceptual photography trends.

Archivists note her deliberate obscurity – she stored negatives in unmarked boxes and used pseudonyms. This intentional anonymity contrasts with today's social media exhibitionism, making her a countercultural icon. Major exhibitions at Chicago History Museum and Foam Amsterdam have sparked debates about artistic ownership and posthumous fame.