Keane became embroiled in a legal rights dispute in her work after her husband claimed credit, a story told by Tim Burton in the 2014 film Big Eyes. Jane Swigert’s daughter confirmed her death at her home in Napa California as a result of heart failure. Born Peggy Doris Hawkins, she studied drawing in New York before finding a job in baby crib painting in the 1950s. She soon turned to her own art before meeting Walter Keane in 1955. She discovered her trademark paintings saucers looked sad and he started selling them in comedy clubs, getting the praise. After convincing her that it was a more realistic solution, he agreed to the deception, telling the Guardian in 2014 that he was “tearing it up”. Until the 1960s, paintings were ubiquitous, with stars such as Dean Martin and Joan Crawford buying the originals. Andy Warhol said at the time: “I think what Keane has done is just wonderful. It must be good. If it was bad, so many people would not like it. “ But art critics were not impressed, and in 1964, at the World’s Fair, a large-scale painting called Tomorrow Forever was called the “August Hacker” in the New York Times before being immediately removed. “When people said it was just emotional things, they really hurt my feelings,” he said. “Some people could not even stand to look at them. I do not know why – just a violent reaction. “ Amy Adams in the big eyes. Photo: The Weinstein Company / Allstar The couple divorced shortly after and in 1970, announced that they were the real artist. In 1986, he sued both Walter Keane and USA Today for claiming that he was behind the scenes. He won the case after a “painting” in court, but never received $ 4 million in damages as Walter Keane went bankrupt. Her story later turned into the 2014 film Big Eyes, starring Amy Adams, which led to a brief resurgence of popularity for her work. He called watching the movie a “traumatic” experience. The film’s co-writer Larry Karaszewski paid tribute to her on Facebook. “Grateful that we all spent so much time getting to know her beautiful spirit,” she wrote. “It took a decade to bring Big Eyes to the screen. But her story of the abuse she survived was significant. “People wanted to know the truth about her life and her art.” In 2018, the then Los Angeles Art Exhibition awarded her a lifetime achievement during a retrospective exhibition of her work. He called it a “real blessing.” Her death was reported today on her official Facebook page. “We are saddened to announce that Margaret Keane, ‘The Mother of Great Eyes, Our Queen, a Modern Teacher and Legend,’ died peacefully Sunday morning at her home in Napa, California, at the age of 94.
