The Easel

The Strange Story of an Oscar Contender

Vivienne Maier was for most of her life a Chicago nanny. Just prior to her death, a box containing a large number of negatives and undeveloped rolls of film was sold at a storage locker auction. The surprise was not just that the images were of remarkably high quality but also that almost no-one knew she was an active photographer. A series of hugely popular exhibitions have followed. The film “Finding Vivienne Maier” was a nominee for this week’s ‘Best Documentary’ Oscar.