The "astonishing" (People) and definitive biography that unlocks
the "riveting" (Vogue) story of Vivian Maier, the nanny who lived
secretly as a world-class photographer, featuring nearly 400 of her
images, many never seen before, placed for the first time in the context
of her life.
Vivian Maier, the photographer nanny whose work was famously discovered
in a Chicago storage locker, captured the imagination of the world with
her masterful images and mysterious life. Before posthumously
skyrocketing to global fame, she had so deeply buried her past that even
the families she lived with knew little about her. No one could relay
where she was born or raised, if she had parents or siblings, if she
enjoyed personal relationships, why she took photographs and why she
didn't share them with others. Now, in this "thorough, fascinating
overview of an artist working for art's sake" (The New York Times),
Ann Marks uses her complete access to Vivian's personal records and
archive of 140,000 photographs to reveal the full story of her
extraordinary life.
Based on meticulous investigative research, the "compelling and richly
detailed" (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) Vivian Maier Developed
reveals the story of a woman who fled from a family with a hidden
history of illegitimacy, bigamy, parental rejection, substance abuse,
violence, and mental illness to live life on her own terms. Left with a
limited ability to disclose feelings and form relationships, she
expressed herself through photography, creating a secret portfolio of
pictures teeming with emotion, authenticity, and humanity.
With limitless resilience she knocked down every obstacle in her way,
determined to improve her lot in life and that of others by tirelessly
advocating for the rights of workers, women, African Americans, and
Native Americans. No one knew that behind the detached veneer was a
profoundly intelligent, empathetic, and inspired woman--a woman so
creatively gifted that her body of work would become one of the greatest
photographic discoveries of the century.
