Vivian Maier: The Nanny Photographer Who Conquered the World

Vivian Maier (New York, 1926 – Chicago, 2009) worked as a nanny, living in others' homes and photographing street life in New York and Chicago. She left behind a vast archive of negatives, discovered posthumously by real estate agent John Maloof, who bought them at auction. Maloof learned to print the images, tracked down Maier's personal effects, and built an archive that launched a global phenomenon. A legal battle over rights was settled in May 2016 between The Estate of Vivian Maier and The Maloof Collection. Maier's work, characterized by self-portraits in reflections and tender depictions of children, the elderly, and the poor, has been compared to Diane Arbus, Elliott Erwitt, and Paul Strand. A touring exhibition curated by Anne Morin and Alessandra Mauro traveled to Italian institutions including MAN Nuoro, Fondazione Forma Milano, Museo di Roma in Trastevere, and Palazzo Ducale Genova between 2015 and 2017.