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The Untold Story of the Photographer Nanny
by Ann Marks
The definitive biography that unlocks the remarkable 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 definitive biography, 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, 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.
"With the keen eye of a detective and persistence of a genealogist, researcher Marks unravels the complicated story of 'nanny wonder' Vivian Maier (1926–2009), one of the 20th century's most enigmatic street photographers...This definitive account will leave readers in awe." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Compelling and richly detailed, this book sheds new and important light on an intriguing photographer and her singular life. A well-researched and incisive biography of an artist who should be better known." - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Through her unique research into Vivian Maier's life, Ann Marks has solved key mysteries in which this extraordinary woman's photography has been shrouded." - Colin Westerbeck, co-author of Bystander: A History of Street Photography and former photography curator, Chicago Institute of Art
"Ann Marks is the definitive expert on Vivian Maier. Where our documentary leaves off, she picks up. Through her meticulously organized and exhaustive research, Marks paints a complete historical profile of the photographer." - John Maloof, director and producer, Academy Award-nominated Finding Vivian Maier
"Working like a forensic detective, Ann Marks breathes life into the elusive Vivian Maier. Her biography brings forth a needed understanding of the artist and better appreciation of her art." - Jeffrey Goldstein, original owner of partial Vivian Maier archive
This information about Vivian Maier Developed was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Ann Marks spent thirty years as a senior executive in large corporations and served as chief marketing officer of Dow Jones/The Wall Street Journal. After retirement, she put her research and analysis skills to use as an amateur genealogist and became inspired to unlock the mysterious life of photographer Vivian Maier. She has dedicated years to studying Maier's archive of 140,000 images and is an internationally renowned resource on Vivian Maier's life and work. Her research has been featured in major media outlets, including the Chicago Tribune, the New York Times, and the Associated Press. Marks lives in Manhattan with her husband and three children.
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