Vivian Maier: In Her Own Hands
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Glenbow Museum 130 9 Ave SE, Calgary, Alberta T2G 0P3
Vivian Maier, "Self-Portrait, New York," 1954
© Estate of Vivian Maier, Courtesy of Maloof Collection and Howard Greenberg Gallery, NY.
Temporary Closure Starting Friday, March 13, 2020
Glenbow will temporarily close to the public starting tomorrow, March 13, to support the effort to contain the spread of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in Calgary.
Our priority at Glenbow is to ensure the safety of our visitors, staff, and volunteers. While we don’t have any confirmed cases connected to Glenbow, we believe that we can do our part and best serve our community by temporarily pausing public access to our exhibitions and galleries, large group events and programs.
Organized by diChroma Photography; Curated by Anne Morin.
Vivian Maier’s fascinating story has inspired several books as well as the documentary film Finding Vivian Maier, which was nominated for an Academy Award in 2015. A Chicago-based nanny by trade, Maier secretly pursued photography in her spare time, eventually amassing more than 100,000 negatives which she shared with virtually no one in her lifetime.
Maier’s approach was remarkable in that she rarely took more than one frame of each image. Furtively, she documented the often manic rhythm of metropolitan life in the cities she moved through, particularly Chicago and New York. The exhibition also includes a small selection of images Maier took on a visit to Canada.
Maier’s photography reveals her fascination with people and their place in the world. In one frame, we see Hollywood icon Kirk Douglas arriving at the New York première of Spartacus; in another, police and distraught onlookers hover over a figure laying prone on the sidewalk, a thin sheath of newspaper placed under her head to give a veneer of comfort. We infer that she is gravely ill or perhaps already passed.
Elsewhere, we see arguing adults and playing children, the interior of fine art gallery and an urban street scene, skyscrapers and quiet corners. With an emphasis on children, women, the elderly and the vulnerable, the breadth of her work also reveals a series of striking self-portraits. Maier’s unique viewpoint captured fascinating characters and surprising moments on film. While much of her life remains shrouded in mystery, her work has been firmly embraced as that of a true master.
Vivian Maier’s street and travel photography was discovered by John Maloof in 2007 at a local auction house in Chicago. Since her work came to light, Maier’s indelible images have gone on to garner worldwide acclaim through several exhibitions, including Vivian Maier: In Her Own Hands.