Photographs by Vivian Maier at Fotografiska
Text Timo Raussi Photos Fotografiska Tallinn, with permission from the owners of the collections
On 19 September, Fotografiska Tallinn will open an exhibition devoted to the work of Vivian Maier (1926–2009), perhaps the most enigmatic giant of street photography in the world. Following New York and Shanghai, Tallinn is the third city in the world to host the exhibition “Vivian Maier: Found Works”. The exhibition presents around 200 of Maier’s masterful photographs taken from the early 1950s to the mid-1980s. Alongside black-and-white and colour photographs in both vintage and contemporary prints, the exhibition also features Super 8 film footage and personal audio recordings made by Maier.
Born in New York’s Bronx, Maier worked as a nanny for most of her life. In between her work, she photographed the urban life she saw around her in the “Big Apple”, and later in Chicago. Maier was particularly interested in people, street scenes and the most mundane situations rather than the American dream. She also liked to photograph herself using mirrors and reflective surfaces, and the exhibition includes some of her best-known self-portraits.
Maier’s vast archive, consisting of more than 120,000 negatives and hundreds of undeveloped rolls of film, only came to public attention by chance after her death. French curator Anne Morin, who has worked with Vivian Maier’s photographs since 2010, sums it up as follows: “The discovery of these materials is one of the greatest happy accidents in the history of photography.”
The exhibition’s opening will be held at Fotografiska on Friday evening, 18 September, but the actual public opening days begin on Saturday, 19 September. At 13:00 that day, Morin will lead an English-language curator’s tour, during which she will provide more information about the background to the exhibition and Maier’s work. The tour costs €25 and tickets can be purchased here.
Fotografiska also regularly organises free guided tours of its main exhibitions. With a regular admission ticket, visitors can join these in English on Fridays at 19:00 and in Finnish on Saturdays at 14:00. The Vivian Maier exhibition is on display until 17 January 2027.
Fotografiska Tallinn is open Monday to Thursday from 9:00 to 20:00, Fridays from 9:00 to midnight, Saturdays from 10:00 to 20:00, and Sundays from 10:00 to 18:00. On Fridays from 20:00 to midnight, exhibitions can be visited with the affordable €10 Öövöönd, or Night Shift, late-evening ticket, available both online and on site.
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