CHICAGO (AP) — A messy legal fight over copyrights to streetscape photos shot by a Chicago nanny whose life is chronicled in “Finding Vivian Maier,” which is nominated for an Oscar on Sunday, threatens to slow or even stop new releases of her once-unknown work that has become a sensation only after her death.
The enigmatic Maier died penniless five years ago with no will, no obvious heirs and no inkling that the more than 150,000 photographs she snapped in her spare time in Chicago and New York from the 1950s onward would become so prized. Now, two men she never knew are tussling over who holds the rights to print, sell and display the images she created.
Maier’s intimate and often-gritty photography, which she made no attempt to sell commercially in her lifetime, focused on everyday people, rich and poor, and captures the flavor of a bygone era. Since interest in her work exploded, prints of her photographs have sold for thousands of dollars.
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To avoid the legal headache, an owner of a far smaller collection of Maier’s photography sold it all to a Canadian gallery. Maloof has no intention of doing that.
The county could cut a deal right away with Maloof, possibly letting him reproduce her work with some profits going into escrow until the heir question is resolved. Maloof said Thursday a recent meeting with county lawyers left him more optimistic. Officials, he said, understand the intense interest in Maier.
“They don’t want to shut us down,” Maloof said. “I am confident something can be worked out.”
