The romance of Vivian Maier continues unabated, as images made by a photographer who refused celebrity continue being brought to public view.

Last night, at a panel discussion held at HarperCollins BookLab, at the South Street Seaport, the elusive photographer was presented in light of the tremendous popularity that her photographs, but primarily her story, have obtained. Gallerist Howard Greenberg was joined by art historian and journalist Richard Woodward, with architect James Sanders, of the Seaport Culture District, as moderator.

By now, the story of the nanny whose mostly black-and-white photographs of Chicago street life has been told through newspaper and magazine articles, several books and a movie, might seem “done”. But the mystery of her choice to remain unknown is what keeps it alive. Not least problematic in the “problem of Vivian Maier” is the fact that the images created by her, which continue to flood the Internet, were posthumously printed.
 

 
Photographs © Vivian Maier/Courtesy Maloof Collection

But since the phenomenal worldwide interest in this story and its pictures is not driven by cultural institutions, whose standards concerning provenance and accountability were set up to guard against unfair use of creative works, a different set of standards has come into play. The issue of the retroactive prints, offered in small editions (the first lot of which, said Howard Greenberg, have sold out), can be defended in several ways, especially since the prints she made herself were poorly done on cheap proofing paper. Not mentioned by the panel, but one to consider, is the fact that most photojournalists, including Henri Cartier-Bresson, generally don’t make their own prints. 

Vivian Maier, by all accounts, was an outsider. Those who knew her best—and these number just a few—say that she became a nanny because she had no training for any other type of work. When the facts emerged, through the work of John Maloof, who purchased the boxes full of her belongings at an auction, the threads that can be pieced together also show that she chose the life she lived. That she eschewed money and fame in order to protect the freedom she cherished. That she liked what had and she had what she needed, until poor health put her into reduced circumstances. That she lived in the moment, not for the future. This, and the fact that her popularity in Europe seems greater with time, is what keeps the story alive.

Vivian Maier: A Photographer Found by John Maloof (Harper Design 2014)

Finding Vivian Maier, a documentary by John Maloof and Charlie Siskel.

Vivian Maier photographs at Howard Greenberg Gallery.

Vivian Maier official website.

Harper BookLab event Thursday, October 22, 5:30 pm: How Design Inspires | A Discussion with Michael Beirut and Friends. Information. 

South Street Culture District, Information, Information, Information.