What It Takes to be a Successful Artist: Does Vivian Maier Deserve to be Exhibited?

Who is Vivian Maier?

According to her official website's about page, "Vivian Maier (February 1, 1926 – April 21, 2009) was an American street photographer born in New York City." Maier spent most of her childhood in France, but after returning to the U.S. she decided to take up nannying, using much of her free time for photography. By the time her work was discovered, she had left behind "a body of work comprising over 100,000 negatives."

Since the discovery of her work, Maier has gained international attention, appearing in many gallery exhibitions. The problem is that her photographs were discovered just after her death, and have been commercialized by individuals who are not related to her, and therefore not the rightful heir to her estate, leading to a legal battle initiated by lawyer and former photographer David C. Deal in 2014.

Maier was known to be an extremely private person according to those who knew her. She took photos obsessively, but never showed them to anyone, leading some to question if she ever would have wanted the fame she gets today for her work.

There are two big questions we can ask about Vivian Maier: "Should Maier be considered a successful artist?" and, "Should Maier be allowed to be exhibited?"

The short response is that I believe the answer is a solid "yes" for both.

In a class discussion, we had to come up with a list of things we believe makes someone a successful artist. The most important of these in my personal opinion is that the artist is passionate and motivated about what they do, they bring their own unique perspective or personal connection to their work, the work has meaning behind it or touches on topics the artist thinks is important, they have their own style that is unique to themselves, as well as the artist has the technical skill needed or is able to take feedback to reflect on and refine their skill.

Using these criteria, I believe Vivian Maier completely encompasses what it means to be a successful artist. Some things missing from this list, however, that some people may feel is crucial to what it means to be a successful artist, includes recognition, money, networking with others in the art industry, as well as exploring multiple mediums of art. Some people may consider Maier to be lacking in these categories, and therefore not quite fitting what it means to be a successful artist. Despite this, Maier took photos because she loved to take photos, and I believe that is the most crucial part of accomplishing anything as an artist.

I think the reason we should exhibit Maier is simple. Vivian Maier's work inspires people. Maier takes the type of photo's that makes people fall in love with photography. It's easy to see that she has the skill and the passion, as well as her own unique perspective that she brings into each photo. As soon as I learned about her work, all I could think about was sharing it with others.

Vivian Maier documented history. She documented normal everyday life, the elegant, the humorous, as well as the tragedy. Her photography feels real. Truly candid.

We may never know Vivian Maier's thoughts on the exposure and recognition her work receives today, but I can definitely say that I will be forever grateful that I am able to view and appreciate her photography during my lifetime.

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