Artist Margaret Keane, the painter best remembered for her works of children with large eyes, died Sunday at 94.
Larry Karaszewski, a co-producer and co-screenwriter on the 2014 movie “Big Eyes,” starring Amy Adams as Keane, paid tribute in a Facebook post.
“Grateful we all got to spend so much time getting to know her beautiful spirit,” he posted Wednesday morning. “It took a decade to bring ‘Big Eyes’ to the screen. But her tale of surviving abuse was important. She wanted the world to know the truth about her life and art.”
“We’re sad to announce that Margaret Keane, ‘The Mother of Big Eyes, our Queen, a Modern Master and Legend’ peacefully passed away Sunday morning at her home in Napa, CA,” Keane’s Facebook page posted.
The paintings became part of popular culture in the 1960s but her second husband, Walter, took credit for them. In 1970, Margaret announced she was the artist and a paint-off was scheduled in San Francisco, though Walter didn’t appear, according to The New York Times.
In 1986, a lawsuit against Walter resulted in the judge ordering both Keane’s to paint big-eyed children in the courtroom. Only Margaret was able to do so.
After suffering from ear problems and hearing loss as a young child, Keane concentrated on people’s eyes and focused her work on them, The New York Times wrote.
She married Walter in 1955 and he would take credit for her work, opening galleries, appearing on shows and selling memorabilia. Margaret went along with the story, even keeping silent for a few years after the couple’s 1965 divorce.
“Big Eyes” garnered Adams a Golden Globe and helped renew interest in Keane, who had a gallery in San Francisco. Christoph Waltz was nominated for Best Actor for his performance as Walter and Lana Del Rey’s title song of the same name was nominated for Best Original Song.
Keane is survived by her daughter, Jane Swigert, five stepchildren from her third marriage and eight step-grandchildren.
