By Elin Spring
You know that scintillating internal shift that sparks a change in the way you see and feel? That is the charisma of art, the proverbial “why we look.” Such a realignment is stirring at Howard Greenberg Gallery (NYC) in “Notes from the Margins,” an unlikely pairing of photographs and videos by radical activist Allen Ginsberg (d.1997) and the reserved, stealthy street photographer Vivian Maier (d. 2009). Both were born in 1926, the apparent incentive for a much more nuanced and layered exhibit whose revelations are greater than the sum of their parts. On view through September 12th, 2026.
Allen Ginsberg, Portrait of Allen Ginsberg, 1953.
Gelatin silver print; printed later, 11 x 14 in.
© Allen Ginsberg Trust, Courtesy of Howard Greenberg Gallery, New York.
Vivian Maier, Self-portrait, New York, NY, 1954
Gelatin silver print; printed later
Image size: 12 x 12 in.; Paper size: 20 x 16 in. From an edition of 15
© Vivian Maier/Maloof Collection, Courtesy Howard Greenberg Gallery, New York.
The fact that both Ginsberg and Maier were born in 1926 contextualizes their work. As this show exposes so poignantly, their experiences were as outliers at at time when conformity was king. Both grew up in an era that drew citizens together during WWII and stoked the country’s postwar spirit of optimism and opportunity. But the 1950’s also gave rise to a movement of literary and cultural dissidents led by writers like Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac and William S. Burroughs, self-identified as the Beat Generation. In contrast, from all appearances, Vivian Maier adhered to social convention. The photographs in this exhibit date primarily from the 1950s and ‘60s, when they were in their 30’s.
Allen Ginsberg, Untitled, 1961.
Gelatin silver print; printed c.1961, 5 1/4 X 3 1/8 in.
© Allen Ginsberg Trust, Courtesy of Howard Greenberg Gallery, New York.
Allen Ginsberg championed free speech in the uninhibited verse and poetry that made him famous. A video of him reciting his seminal poem “Howl” (1956) is on view in the gallery, bringing to life his celebration of homosexuality, anti-war activism, psychedelic drugs, and free expression, all of which inform his surrounding photographs.
Allen Ginsberg, Neal Cassady, c.1955
Gelatin silver print; printed c.1955, 3 1/4 X 4 5/8 in.
© Allen Ginsberg Trust, Courtesy of Howard Greenberg Gallery, New York.
Ginsberg’s photographs are opinionated, sometimes joyous, at other times ruminating. Often abandoning the pesky standards of exposure, focus or composition, he concentrated almost solely on his friends and lovers, many times including himself. Most of his pictures on view are posed, further accentuating his subjectivity.
Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, East 7th Street, 1953.
Gelatin silver print; printed later, 11 x 14 in.
© Allen Ginsberg Trust, Courtesy of Howard Greenberg Gallery, New York.
Allen Ginsberg, Neal Cassady young and handsome with salesman checking out used cars in North Beach lot, San Francisco, 1955.
Gelatin silver print; printed later. Image size:11 6/8 x 7 5/8 in. Paper size: 14 x 11 in.
© Allen Ginsberg Trust, Courtesy of Howard Greenberg Gallery, New York.
From his obvious infatuation with Neal Cassady, to his “heroic” study of Jack Kerouac, and a buff beach boy picture with lifelong lover Peter Orlovsky (and a joking William S. Burroughs), Ginsberg’s photographs assert the right to self-determination and free will. He sometimes actually did write in the margins of his images, ostensibly to identify subjects, but they also divulge feelings of love and admiration.
Allen Ginsberg, Heroic portrait of Jack Kerouac on fire-escape,
206 East 7th Street, New York, 1953.
Gelatin silver print; printed later, 14 x 11 in.
© Allen Ginsberg Trust, Courtesy of Howard Greenberg Gallery, New York.
Allen Ginsberg, Peter Orlovsky & Jack Kerouac squinting, William Burroughs,
Moroccan boys interested, Tanger, 1957.
Early gelatin silver print, 7 3/8 x 9 1/2 in.
© Allen Ginsberg Trust, Courtesy of Howard Greenberg Gallery, New York.
Feature Image: Vivian Maier, Chicago, IL, 1960
Gelatin silver print; printed later
Image size: 12 x 12 in., Paper size: 20 x 16 in. From an edition of 15
© Vivian Maier/Maloof Collection, Courtesy Howard Greenberg Gallery, New York.
In contrast, Vivian Maier photographed strangers, expressing the feelings of her subjects but never revealing her own. Her personal life remains cloaked in mystery. Never married and childless, she worked primarily as a children’s nanny in Chicago during the time she made the photographs on view. Her archive, consisting mostly of negatives, was discovered accidentally when her abandoned Chicago storage unit was purchased at auction in 2007.
Vivian Maier, Untitled, n.d.
Gelatin silver print; printed later
16 x 20 in. From an edition of 15
© Vivian Maier/Maloof Collection, Courtesy Howard Greenberg Gallery, New York.
Maier’s photographs reveal that she was a brilliant student of human behavior, reminiscent of Helen Levitt and Diane Arbus. Like them, she demonstrated adept attention to detail and composition in the moment. Many of her images seek patterns, highlighting an innate curiosity, empathy and wit. One contact sheet on view focuses entirely on people holding things. The way she continually illuminated commonalities suggests an outsider’s undying search for human connection.
Vivian Maier, Self-portrait, Chicago 2/15, 1970
Gelatin silver print; printed later
20 x 16 in. From an edition of 15
© Vivian Maier/Maloof Collection, Courtesy Howard Greenberg Gallery, New York.
Vivian Maier, Self-portrait, Chicago area, c.1970
Gelatin silver print; printed later
Image size: 12 x 12 in.; Paper size: 20 x 16 in. From an edition of 15
© Vivian Maier/Maloof Collection, Courtesy Howard Greenberg Gallery, New York.
But Maier remains inscrutable. Most of her photographs on view are self-portraits, and they tell a captivating tale. Her reflections in shop windows or mirrors, along with literal shadows of herself, could just as easily be interpreted as dodging definition as pursuing it. She seemed to be simultaneously hiding and seeking.
Vivian Maier, Self-portrait, Chicago area, April 24, 1957
Gelatin silver print; printed later
Image size: 12 x 12 in.; Paper size: 20 x 16 in. From an edition of 15
© Vivian Maier/Maloof Collection, Courtesy Howard Greenberg Gallery, New York.
Vivian Maier, Self-portrait, Chicago area, 1963.
Gelatin silver print; printed later
Image size: 12 x 12 in.; Paper size: 20 x 16 in. From an edition of 15
© Vivian Maier/Maloof Collection, Courtesy Howard Greenberg Gallery, New York.
Allen Ginsberg was loud, Vivian Maier nearly invisible. Although they shared a cultural era, they lived their lives at seemingly opposite ends of the social spectrum. In “Notes from the Margins,” mingling these incisive, intriguing portraits of two societal outliers feels especially relevant. Ginsberg and Maier’s differences enlarge a sense of humanity and it is no wonder that their work endures during yet another era in our country when conformity feels forced and personal freedoms are being threatened.
For more information about this exhibit, go to: https://www.howardgreenberg.com/
Share On Facebook
Tweet It
