Myth in the Shadows – The Eye of Vivian Maier
From July 3, 2025, to January 15, 2026, Ira Stehmann Fine Art will host a remarkable exhibition that reexamines the legacy of the enigmatic street photographer Vivian Maier. Entitled Myth in the Shadows – The Eye of Vivian Maier, the exhibition delves into her distinctive visual language, showcasing not only her celebrated black-and-white images but also a substantial collection of her lesser-known color photography.
Vivian Maier (1926–2009) remains one of photography’s most intriguing and mysterious figures. Her vast body of work, discovered only after her death, has come to redefine the canon of street photography. For years, while working as a nanny, she roamed the streets with her camera, capturing the world around her with remarkable intuition and discretion.
Her astonishing archive – more than 140,000 negatives, prints, and reels of undeveloped film – lay hidden for decades. Myth in the Shadows – The Eye of Vivian Maier brings this silent observer into the light, recounting the story of a woman who led an unassuming life while documenting, with unflinching clarity, the everyday realities of the 20th century.
Maier’s images are rich with fleeting gestures, poignant expressions, and evocative reflections – moments that might otherwise have gone unnoticed. Her story continues to spark questions: Who was this woman who so vividly saw the world, yet chose to remain unseen? When does an archive become art? And who determines what is brought into view and what remains in the shadows?
This exhibition highlights not only the interplay of light and darkness in her monochrome photography, but also the atmospheric subtlety and emotional nuance of her color work – often overlooked but equally compelling. Visitors are invited on a visual journey that reveals new dimensions of Maier’s creative vision. A specially curated selection of books accompanies the show, offering further exploration into her life and artistic contribution.
Through this unique exhibition, Ira Stehmann Fine Art offers an intimate encounter with a woman whose lens revealed the poetry of everyday life and continues to resonate with viewers today – a testament to the enduring mystery and power of her gaze.
About the Author
Vivian Maier (1926–2009) was an American street photographer whose extraordinary body of work remained unknown during her lifetime. Born in New York City to a French mother and Austrian father, she spent part of her youth in France before returning to the U.S., where she worked for decades as a nanny in Chicago. Quiet, private, and intensely observant, Maier carried a camera with her everywhere, capturing the streets, people, and moments of urban life with remarkable precision and empathy.
Over the course of her life, Maier produced over 140,000 negatives, along with Super 8 films, audio recordings, and countless prints—virtually all unseen until her archive was discovered in a storage locker shortly before her death. Her photographs, which blend formal elegance with raw spontaneity, have since redefined the canon of street photography. She had an uncanny ability to frame the poetry of the everyday, often focusing on overlooked moments, marginalized figures, and fleeting expressions.
Though she never exhibited her work publicly or sought recognition, Vivian Maier is now regarded as one of the most compelling figures in 20th-century photography. Her story raises enduring questions about authorship, anonymity, and the boundaries between private creation and public legacy. With each image, she invites viewers to see the world anew—through the eyes of someone who observed deeply, yet remained largely invisible herself.
Myth in the Shadows. The Eye of Vivian Maier
3 July 2025 – 15 January 2026
Ira Stehmann Fine Art – Munich – Germany
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