*Exhibition Dates: July 25 – September 14, 2013
The Stephen Bulger Gallery recently hosted the opening for the first Canadian exhibition of photographs by Vivian Maier, “Out of the Shadows,” featuring a selection of Maier’s photographs from the 1950s through the 1970s, which was a highly creative period in her life.
In addition to Maier’s characteristic street portraiture, this exhibit features a prolific catalog of images that show an artist with relentless curiosity that worked in a vast range of subjects and styles. Maier’s unique ability to brilliantly capture the zeitgeist is particularly apparent in shots of Chicago’s famous Maxwell Street and in protest scenes taken during the social unrest of 1968.
Maier’s work was discovered in 2007 when boxes of 20,000 black and white negatives, colour slides, undeveloped film and vintage prints were discovered in a storage locker and sold at an auction in Chicago. Jeffrey Goldstein eventually acquired this collection from several of the original buyers. Since its discovery, Maier’s work has been exhibited all over the world. Born in New York, Maier was raised in France until returning to New York City in 1951, where she began taking photographs with the Rolleiflex, often shooting a full roll of film a day. She moved to Chicago in 1956, and spent the next 40 years as a nanny, dying at the age of 83 in 2009 before her work was exhibited.
Her photography has a calming darkness that speaks to us human and our nature. I could have sat in the gallery all evening finding new and wonderful details in her shots. The photos are thought out with emotion, riddled with mystery. Vivian was a hidden gem whose photos are greatly appreciated by the arts community, as she was beyond an extraordinary street photographer. You don’t want to miss this show.
Also, one of my favourite events is just around the corner!
YPs, SAVE THE DATE: September 20, 2013, for Art Bound 2013.
HEART ART!