Vali Myers

Is anyone familiar with Vali Myers photography?

I was living in the Chelsea Hotel* when she died last year. We had a little remembrance thing. Her work hangs there. Wonderful. I haven't seen any of her photos though.

Best,
Helen

She used to live there, on and off - but moved back to Melbourne long before I moved into the the Chelsea.

I have heard of her in connection with the Dutch photographer Ed van der Elsken. This must have been in Paris, early 1950s. He took some pictures of her that became famous. Am I right?

Love on the Left Bank/Vali Myers

Oh gosh, I get giddy whenever I see anything having to do with Vali Myers....ever since I saw her book as an impressionable teen, I have loved that absolutely wild and free-spirited woman....

I have never heard of her taking photographs...however as posted above, Ed Van der Elsken's book "Love on the Left Bank" is sort of a fictional portrait of Vali and various others in Paris after World War II - before she moved to Il Porto. It's a great book and can be found in a re-print edition.

Incidentally, if you can find a copy of her book "Vali Myers" grab it. Unusual, fascinating stuff - though not every one's bag, for sure.

Vali Myers Photo's

Hi there - Vali Myers was a painter. Not a photographer. Being the incredibly visual/decorative entity that she was she became the subject for many a reknown and amateur photographers camera. Ed Van Elsken was likely the first reknown artist to be captured by the muse in Vali. If you visit www.valimyers.com you can order some of the wonderful postcard portrait images of Vali shot by Van Elsken, Carol Beckwith and Ira Cohen. I was fortunate to have known Vali for 10 years and was among the group of friends who scattered her ashes among the waves of port phillip bay. As a person Vali was sheer magic - a true inspirational force. She continues as Muse in my creative work to this day.