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THOMAS MASTERS GALLERY DEBUTS EXHIBITION OF VIVIAN MAIER PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE JEFFREY GOLDSTEIN COLLECTION
SEPTEMBER 7, 2012
Vivian Maier: Out of the Shadows Reveals New Chapters in
Her Diverse and Prolific Body of Documentary Photography
CHICAGO –Thomas Masters Gallery is proud to present an exhibition of photographs by Vivian Maier (1926 ‐ 2009) from the Jeffrey Goldstein Collection, featuring silver gelatin prints of images selected from the book, Vivian Maier: Out of the Shadows, by Richard Cahan and Michael Williams of CityFiles Press. The exhibition, opening September 7 at the Thomas Masters Gallery (245 W. North Ave., Chicago, IL), puts Maier’s work in the context of her life during her highly creative period from the 1950s through the 1970s.
In addition to her known street photography, this exhibit will feature a prolific selection 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 shot during the social unrest of 1968. Echoing the chapters in the upcoming book, the exhibition is organized to reflect nine of Maier’s personal journeys from the pastures of rural France to the streets of downtown Chicago, “Snapshots,” “America,” “Day,” “Maxwell,” “Beach,” “1968,” “Downtown,” “Walks,” and “Night.”
Maier’s work was discovered in Chicago in 2007 when boxes of abandoned prints, negatives and undeveloped film were sold at auction. Born in New York, Maier spent much of her youth in France. Starting in the late 1940s, she shot an average of a roll of film a day. She moved to Chicago in the mid-1950s, and spent the next 40 years working as a nanny to support her passion for photography. Maier died at the age of 83 before her work was ever publically recognized or exhibited.
Since her exhibition debut in 2010, Maier’s work has been shown at the Chicago Cultural Center, Russell Bowman Art Advisory in Chicago, Steven Kasher Gallery in New York, Jackson Fine Art in Atlanta, Stephen Cohen Gallery in Los Angeles and by the Hearst Corp. in New York.Vivan Maier: Out of the Shadows is the first exhibition to expand on her photographic legacy, examining her images within the framework of a life story that continues to be unraveled by art enthusiasts and historians.
“Vivian’s photographs tell her life story,” said Michael Williams, co-author of Vivian Maier: Out of the Shadows. “She was way ahead of her time—recording what she saw on a daily basis with a joy and curiosity that makes her work so compelling.”
Maier shot many of her most iconic pictures while working for various suburban Chicago families, a job that allowed her to periodically travel both domestically and abroad, as shown in her photographs of New York, South Dakota, Florida, California, as well as the rural pastures of Southern France. Images she snapped are combined with interviews with those who knew her best in the book, told by the authors.
“We went far in documenting Vivian’s life, but she loved being a woman of mystery,” said Richard Cahan, co-author of the book. “Even her photographs—clear, forthright images—only go so far in revealing her. That’s what great photographers do.”
The exhibition will feature posthumous, 12”x12” silver gelatin prints produced in editions of 15 and signed on the verso by Jeffrey Goldstein and by master gelatin silver printers Ron Gordon and Sandra Steinbrecher.
In celebration of the Vivian Maier: Out of the Shadows book release and exhibition, there will also be a limited edition clamshell version of the book (signed by the authors), available for purchase, with each case housing one of three specially produced, limited edition 9”x9” prints (signed and numbered by Gordon, Steinbrecher, and Goldstein.)
Collectors will have an opportunity to view the exhibition at a private opening on Thursday, September 6 from 6 to 9pm with the official public opening on Friday, September 7 from 6 to 9pm. Additional events related to the exhibition include a book talk, film screening, lecture and panel discussion. The full schedule of events at Thomas Masters Gallery is below.
Vivian Maier: Out of the Shadows
Thomas Masters Gallery
Curated by Jeffrey Goldstein and Anne Zakaras
September 7-October 19, 2012
http://www.thomasmastersgallery.com
245 W North Ave #115
Chicago, IL 60610
Thursday, September 6, 6-9 pm Collector's Opening
Friday, September 7, 6-9 pm Official Opening
Saturday, September 15, 2 pm Gallery Talk with James Yood, art critic and adjunct professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Saturday, September 29, 2 pm Film Screening (2-3 short films) The films will include the following: Vivian Maier, Photographer , directed by Tom Palazzolo, written by Jack Helbig and edited by Michael Bullis, with Judith Hoppe as the voice of Vivian Maier and The Vivian Maier Photography Project , directed by Aaron Cahan.
Saturday, October 6, 2 pm Photography Panel discussion with master printers Ron Gordon and Sandra Steinbrecher and photography instructor Frank Jackowiak, who led a group of College of DuPage photographers to process Maier’s undeveloped film. Moderated by Pamela Bannos, photographer and distinquished senior lecturer at Northwestern University.
Saturday, October 13, 2 pm Vivian Maier: Out of the Shadows Book Talk with Richard Cahan & Michael Williams of CityFiles Press.
Photographs from the Jeffrey Goldstein collection are also represented by the Steven Kasher Gallery (New York) and Jackson Fine Art (Atlanta.) Upcoming exhibitions of Maier’s work will take place later this year and in early 2013 at Blue Sky (Portland); Photography Center NW (Seattle) and at the Catherine Couturier Gallery (Houston).
For more information on the Jeffrey Goldstein Collection, visit www.vivianmaierphotography.com.
For select images from the Thomas Masters Gallery, visit https://carolfox.box.com/s/8d9875e10cbc0fc2f79d.
Vivian Maier: Out of the Shadows is available for pre-order through CityFiles Press.
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