The story of American Artist Margaret Keane (b. 1927) is a fascinating one. Ms. Keane, who was once married to another artist, Walter Keane, spent a lifetime creating paintings of doe-eyed girls while her husband took credit for painting the works himself. These paintings of ghostly girls became such phenomenon in the 1960’s and 1970’s, that Hollywood celebrities became collectors, from Joan Crawford to Jerry Lewis and on to Tim Burton, who has since directed a film to tell Margaret’s story, released in 2014. As their marriage headed toward divorce, Ms. Keane finally filed a lawsuit in 1970 in order to receive credit as the rightful painter. Initially insisting to be the true artist, Walter eventually claimed a shoulder injury to avoid having to paint before the court. Walter never painted again and thus, it became clear that Margaret was indeed the rightful artist behind the “Big Eyes” works. Certainly melancholy and lonely, it’s not surprising that these figures tug at the heart strings of thousands of Americans.
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