film, including Walter’s self-cross-examination in the Honolulu courtroom. Keane worked closely with screenwriters Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski to develop the script for The Weinstein Co. Her story also was examined in Adam Parfrey and Cletus Nelson’s 2014 book, Citizen Keane: The Big Lies Behind the Big Eyes. “This is a story about authorship and ownership of same within the context of an extremely imbalanced marriage, as well as of a warped struggle for recognition of one’s work, even if naysayers might ask, as one does, ‘Who would want credit for it?'” In his THR review of Big Eyes, Todd McCarthy wrote: “This nimble, bemused, culturally curious look at the married instigators of the kitschy ‘big eyes’ paintings of the early 1960s exudes an enjoyably eccentric appeal while also painting a troubling picture of male dominance and female submissiveness a half-century ago. She won damages of $4 million, though they were vacated after Walter declared bankruptcy. In a “paint-off” in a Honolulu court in 1986, Margaret dashed off a big-eyed urchin in 53 minutes while Walter, who represented himself in the case, said he had a sore shoulder and was unable to paint. Scott Kenyon, Innovative Artists Agent, Dies at 39Īfter Margaret and Walter divorced in 1965, she finally revealed in 1970 that she was the true artist behind the kitschy artwork. Stars including Jerry Lewis, Zsa Zsa Gabor and Liberace commissioned Keane portraits, and Joan Crawford used one of her for the cover of her 1962 autobiography. Keane died Sunday of heart failure at her home in Napa, California, her daughter, Jane Swigert, told The New York Times.Īmy Adams portrayed Margaret Keane in Big Eyes (2014) alongside Christoph Waltz as her realtor husband, Walter Keane.įor years starting in the 1950s, Walter Keane persuaded his wife to paint for up to 16 hours a day while promoting her work as his own.
Sorry we no longer accept listings for prints.Margaret Keane, who went to court to prove that her popular paintings of children with large, sad eyes were indeed hers and not her husband’s, a tale that was told in the Tim Burton film Big Eyes, has died. Original Paintings Listings wanted by Art Brokerage. She will be portrayed by Amy Adams in the upcoming Tim Burton film Big Eyes.
Some of her well-known fans over the years have included actresses Joan Crawford and Natalie Wood, whom she painted portraits of filmmaker Tim Burton, who commissioned Keane to paint Lisa Marie and animator Craig McCracken, whose characters the Powerpuff Girls are based on Keane's 'waifs' additionally the Girls' schoolteacher is named "Ms. Her works while living in her husband's shadow tended to depict sad children in a dark setting, but after divorcing, moving to Hawaii her paintings took on a happier, brighter style. In 1986, the courts sided with her, enabling her to paint under her own name. Walter declined to paint before the court, citing a sore shoulder. At the hearing, Margaret challenged Walter to a 'paint-off' and created a painting in front of the judge to prove that she was the artist. Walter and Margaret's divorce proceedings went all the way to federal court. Conflict over that issue was cited as one of the reasons they divorced. Walter Keane claimed credit for her work. In the 1960s, Margaret Keane's artwork was sold under the name of her husband, Walter Keane. Art Brokerage: Margaret Keane American Artist: b.