Vivian Maier Exhibition Opens at Thomas Masters, Explores Invention of Chicago Street Style

Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.

Our man on the move, Tim Schroeder heads up to the Thomas Masters Gallery to check-in on the newest Vivian Maier exhibition.

Grid View

Expand

• One of Vivian Maier's photographs
• Photo: Explore Chicago

You've probably heard of Scott Schuman and Tommy Ton snapping pictures of people on the street, but there was one woman who came along quite some time before Mr. Schuman or Mr. Ton.

Vivian Maier was a native New Yorker, raised in France and traveled extensively around the country. Her later life was spent working as a nanny for families on the North Shore of Chicago, capturing thousands of images of anonymous subjects, many were people simply found on the street. Maier never shared her photography, having been somewhat of a recluse in her own way, but has since been recognized as one of the great photographers of the twentieth century.

An extensive exhibit of Maier's work can be seen at the Thomas Masters Gallery in Old Town from now until October 19th. There are periodic events throughout the life of the exhibit, including film screenings about Maier, along with discussions lead by James Yood of the School of SAIC, panel discussions moderated by Pamela Bannos of Northwestern, and even a book talk with the authors of Vivian Maier: Out of the Shadows.
· Thomas Masters Gallery [Official Site]