Self-portrait, New York, NY, May 5, 1955 ©Estate of Vivian Maier, Courtesy of Maloof Collection and Howard Greenberg Gallery, NY

Coinciding with the centenary of her birth, this debut exhibition in Shanghai will systematically present over 200 vintage and modern prints black-and-white and color photographs, a selection of previously unseen images from her travels in Asia (including images shot in Hong Kong and Macao, China), a special screening of motion-picture footage captured with her 8mm camera, and personal artifacts – including her Rolleiflex twin-lens camera and her Leica 35mm, and iconic hat – inviting audiences into the rich and hidden narrative behind her lens.

Structured along thematic lines, the exhibition traces the full arc of Maier’s multi‑phase career. Long before “self‑portrait” became a cultural phenomenon, Maier was already a subtle practitioner of the form, using reflections in shop windows, mirrors, and her own shadow to create thoughtful, metaphorical, and introspective self‑images that explore the complex relationship between self‑identity and public space. Her black‑and‑white street photography focuses on the daily lives and diverse social strata of American cities from the 1950s to the 1970s—the elderly, workers, ethnic minorities, children—observed with a calm yet tender gaze, building a vivid poetic chronicle of society. In her later years, her experiments with color photography reveal a new exploration of abstract form and material texture.

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