Vivian Maier was a street photographer in Chicago. She was mostly active in the 50s, and she took over 150,000 photos in her lifetime. Despite this, she went largely undiscovered.
According to James Dean Bradfield in 2018:
Nick has written outside of himself about Vivian Maier, the photographer. She didn’t have much of a personal life, but she just took photographs all the time. And somebody discovered these hundreds of thousands of negatives in a clearance sale in New York, and he just discovered that she was probably one of the best casual journalistic photographers that have ever lived but never been recognized. Nick became obsessed with Vivian Maier as a photographer, because I think he sees it as a true representation of just an artist working and having no feedback from the outside world. Just doing something in isolation, not wanting any credit. No motive except for just she wanted to do it and she loved it.
https://genius.com/Manic-street-preachers-vivian-lyrics
You work these streets with a camera round your neck
It’s your weapon of choice, it’s your ultimate defence
I’ve seen your face but I’ve really seen your smile
Did you leave the ruins or did you build a life?
I discovered Vivian through the lyrics of Manic Street Preachers as I have with a lot of artists such as kevin Carter et al.
I looked into her history which is fascinating just as much as her photography.
http://findingvivianmaier.com/
“Finding Vivian Maier is the critically acclaimed documentary about a mysterious nanny, who secretly took over 100,000 photographs that were hidden in storage lockers and, discovered decades later, is now among the 20th century’s greatest photographers. Directed by John Maloof and Charlie Siskel, Maier’s strange and riveting life and art are revealed through never before seen photographs, films, and interviews with dozens who thought they knew her.
Maier’s massive body of work would come to light when in 2007 her work was discovered at a local thrift auction house on Chicago’s Northwest Side. From there, it would eventually impact the world over and change the life of the man who championed her work and brought it to the public eye, John Maloof.
Currently, Vivian Maier’s body of work is being archived and cataloged for the enjoyment of others and for future generations. John Maloof is at the core of this project after reconstructing most of the archive, having been previously dispersed to the various buyers attending that auction. Now, with roughly 90% of her archive reconstructed, Vivian’s work is part of a renaissance in interest in the art of Street Photography.”
http://www.vivianmaier.com/ to view her site and photos
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