Margaret Keane

Margaret Keane(born 1927) is an American artist. She is an illustrator and painter, and mainly draws women and children in oil or mixed media. Her works are instantly recognizable (although often imitated) from the doe-eyed children that are depicted in the drawings.

Biography

Margaret D. H. Keane was born 1927 in Tennessee, a state in the Bible Belt. Margaret herself attributes her deep respect for the Bible and inspirations of her artwork to the relationship with her grandmother. She eventually became one of Jehovah's Witnesses, which she said changed her life most definitely for the better. (July 8 1975 Awake!)

In the 1960s, Margaret Keane's artwork was sold under the name of her husband of the time, Walter Keane, her second husband. Many reasons might be put forward to explain this, but it was also one of the reasons they divorced. Not wanting to relinquish the rights to the artwork, Walter and Margaret's divorce proceeding went all the way to Federal court. At the hearing, Margaret painted in front of the judge to prove her point. In 1965, the courts sided with her, enabling her to paint under her own name.

Her works while she was living in her husband's shadow were dark and sad, but after the divorce, moving to Hawaii, and becoming one of Jehovah's Witnesses she started painting in a much happier and brighter style. Many galleries now advertise her work as having "tears of joy" or "tears of happiness".

Currently Margaret makes her home in Napa County, California.

Cultural References

• The American television comedy show Saturday Night Live once had a skit that featured her work, during the time when it was thought to be by her husband, as a parody of the reaction against modern art (e.g., Cubism or the New York Armory Show). "People don't look like that!" one comedian shrieked, before the picture in question was shown to the camera and audience as the punch line.

• Hollywood film star Joan Crawford was a great fan of the "large-eyed waif" Keane paintings, which she had hanging in the bedroom and dressing room of her 9-room Imperial House (150 East 69th Street, NYC) apartment. Margaret Keane also did a portrait of Joan for her home.

• In Woody Allen's 1973 comedy Sleeper, the people of the future consider Keane to be one of the greatest artists in history, one of many references mocking the popular culture of the seventies.

• Late Night with Conan O'Brien has "bumper" art in her style depicting a glum Conan O'Brien at his desk, next to a dog

• Director Tim Burton commissioned Keane to paint a portrait of his one-time fiancé Lisa Marie holding their pet Chihuahua Poppy.

• Matthew Sweet and his wife Lisa are big fans and collectors of Keane's art.

• Animator Craig McCracken had partly based his titular creations, The Powerpuff Girls, on Keane's waif paintings. The girls' schoolteacher is named Ms. Keane.

References

• Official Collectors Gallery by Copper State Design
• Ask Art
• An excerpt transcribed from Awake! magazine of July 8 1975 reposted by Megan Besmirched
• Keane Eyes Gallery

External links

• Margaret Keane fan page
• Margaret Keane info available on the Laguna Museum web site

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