Margaret Keane big eyes. Big Eyes is a biographical drama about artist Margaret Keane, a Jehovah's Witness

15.06.2019

Today, the characters of her paintings - big-eyed, as if alien children - are known and loved by many. From the outside, today's life of a 90-year-old artist seems idyllic, but it all started far from rosy.

Her paintings - but not herself - were huge successes in the 1960s. Then Margaret Keane worked sixteen hours a day behind curtained windows in complete isolation from the outside world - while the authorship was attributed to her husband, who did not have artistic talent, but was an outstanding businessman and a clever manipulator.

The deceit was revealed in court in 1986, at which the artist not only claimed her rights to these works, but was also able to prove her authorship by drawing a big-eyed baby right in the courtroom.

After the trials of the year, the public was divided into two camps: some accused Margaret Keane of weakness and infantilism, others admired her courage and selflessness. And until now, the question of what prompted a talented healthy young woman for many years to unquestioningly obey her husband and agree to voluntary seclusion remains open.

Charming Walter

Margaret met her future husband Walter Keane at an art exhibition in San Francisco. In her own words, Walter literally radiated charm. And how much work was required in order to charm a lonely woman with a small child in her arms? At this time, Margaret was desperately trying to earn at least some money, fearing that her ex-husband would take her daughter away from her. Walter, although he did not have the talent of an artist, undoubtedly had others no less important qualities He was an excellent marketer. A plan quickly formed in his mind to monetize Margaret's talent. Therefore, deciding not to miss such a profitable game, Walter, without thinking twice, married an aspiring artist.

With the permission of his wife, he began to sell her paintings near the entrance to one of the clubs in San Francisco. Portraits of children with exaggeratedly large naive eyes interested people passing by who wished to purchase them. The resounding success of Margaret's paintings that followed could not have been foreseen even by her husband. The peak of popularity came in the first half of the 1960s, while the original creations of the artist were sold at lightning speed for fabulous sums. For those who could not afford to buy the original, Walter found a much less expensive alternative - in every kiosk they began to sell reproductions of his wife's paintings in the form greeting cards, calendars and posters, sold in millions of copies. Moreover, the enterprising husband Margaret used not only paper media - big-eyed crumbs were even depicted on kitchen aprons.

The fact that her husband puts his signature under her portraits, Margaret did not immediately find out. And when she finally guessed and demanded to immediately fix everything, she received a furious rebuff from him. Walter told his discouraged wife that everything had gone too far, and if now he confesses to forgery, then they will have to sue outraged buyers of her paintings until the end of their days, demanding a refund. Margaret was finally convinced to remain silent by his argument that society would never take a woman in the field of art seriously.

"Wailing Folk Art"

Shy and insecure Margaret, who from childhood felt lonely and unhappy, it was easy for the domineering Walter, reveling in undeserved fame, to keep in complete obedience. Convincing her that she did not know how to behave in society, Walter forbade his wife to appear at social events, and if, nevertheless, sometimes, for the sake of decency, she had to attend them, he stopped all attempts by his wife to start a conversation with any of the guests . He also represented his wife as his apprentice, mixing paints for him. Margaret transferred all her pain and loneliness to canvases: the children and women depicted on them with sad eyes the size of a saucer reflected her inner deep feelings. In her work, she painfully searched for answers to questions: why is there so much evil in the world, why close people bring so much grief.

Like any artist truly passionate about her favorite work, Margaret was more worried not about how much income her works brought in - at that time Walter earned millions of dollars on them, while not giving his wife a cent - but what kind of reaction they caused from the audience . Unfortunately, not everyone admired the sad characters in the paintings of Margaret Keane, there were ardent opponents her creativity. Among them is the American Cardinal Timothy Michael Dolan, who called them "weepy folk art”, as well as the leading American art critic, author and art historian John Kenaday, who smashed Margaret’s work “Forever Tomorrow” to smithereens in his article in The New York Times. Above this painting of an endless column of children of different nationalities, stretching to the horizon, Keane worked around the clock. As a result, the "tasteless daub" - such an unflattering definition was given by an art critic to the work of the artist - was removed from the wall in the pavilion of education at the international exhibition "Expo" in 1964 in New York.

From big money and Walter Keane's fame literally his mind was clouded - later psychiatrists diagnose him with a severe mental disorder. Threatening to deal with Margaret and her daughter, he forced his wife to write more and more canvases, dictating to her what should be painted on them. Their house in San Francisco was flooded with dissolute girls who did not put a penny on Margaret, preferring not to notice her at all. At times she ran into them in the matrimonial bedroom, then she had to go to work in the basement. Such a humiliating situation completely exhausted her. Gathering her strength, she and her daughter moved to live in Hawaii. Settling next to the picturesque Hawaiian beach of Waikiki, located in the Honolulu region on the south coast of Oahu, she for the first time long years found peace of mind. But Walter, even in this heavenly place, was not going to leave her alone: Margaret still continued to write and send him pictures.

"Sweet Demon Couple"

The religious organization Jehovah's Witnesses helped her finally break off relations with her tyrant husband, instilling self-confidence in the woman. Spiritually strengthened, Margaret married sports writer Dan McGuire, and she told him about her misadventures. Supported by her husband and members of a religious organization, Keene took to the local radio, where she publicly declared who the author of the big-eyed paintings really was. Her performance had the effect of an exploding bomb. “A couple of sweet demons” - this is how the journalists dubbed the Keane couple, behind whose sentimental pictures, in their opinion, greedy and vile people were hiding. But Margaret, by her own admission, never wanted to sue ex-husband money, she just wanted to stop cheating people. By the way, she never received from him the four million dollars awarded to her, since Walter Keane cash, earned from the sale of her paintings, squandered in fashionable resorts. Despite this, Margaret, according to her, does not feel anger towards him, but, on the contrary, considers herself guilty of everything that happened to them.

"Big eyes"

Half-faced eyes of the zombie-like girl Sally in the animated film The Nightmare Before Christmas, the disproportionately huge glasses of the eccentric confectioner Willy Wonks in the fantasy film Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - it is easy to see that in many works of the American film director Tim Walter Burton, there is a connection with work of Margaret Keane. Oddly enough, but an eccentric Hollywood producer, famous for films full of black humor, is crazy about the big-eyed works of the artist. In addition, Burton has the most extensive collection of them.

Friendship with the artist and a sincere interest in her work prompted Tim Burton to make the film Big Eyes, which so believably tells about family drama the Keanes that Margaret could not watch him without tears. According to the artist, she was most struck by the performance of the Austrian actor Christoph Waltz, who played the role of Walter Keane in the film. He not only looked like him, but masterfully adopted his manner of speaking, habits and arrogant behavior. After watching Big Eyes, the elderly woman came to her senses for two days, it was especially hard for her to watch the game of Amy Lou Adams, who embodied her on the screen. After a while, Margaret, as she says, managed to free herself from the memories that flooded over her, and she began to perceive this film as fantastic. By the way, in one of the frames you can see two Margarets - the young one is diligently drawing at the easel, and the elderly one is sitting on a bench with a book in her hands.

Crazy filmmaker Tim Burton loves to inject macabre elements into his films, such as the skeleton dance in Corpse Bride. Quiet Family Film Big Eyes is no exception. In one of the episodes main character hallucinations begin - she begins to see all the people with huge eyes in the store. It looks, to put it mildly, creepy.

Margaret Keane turns 91 this year despite old age she continues to draw pictures. Only children don't cry at them now. On one of her canvases - "Love Changes the World" - the artist depicted how her work has changed after breaking up with Walter: on the left side of the work, kids are drawn with sad, despairing eyes, on the right - laughing boys and girls who literally glow with happiness .

Margaret Keane is a famous American artist who is known for her amazing portraits of women and children with big eyes.

Margaret D. H. Keane was born in 1927 in Nashville, Tennessee. Her paintings became popular in the 50s, but long time sold under the name of her husband Walter Keane. Since in those days there was a prejudiced attitude towards women's art in society, and no one took it seriously, it was decided to pass off the artist's husband as the author. Only in 1986, after a divorce and a third marriage, Margaret Keane decided and announced that all the paintings, the author of which Walter was still considered to be, were in fact written by her. Since Walter refused to acknowledge this fact, Margaret sued him. After much deliberation, the judge offered to paint a portrait of a child with big eyes right in the courtroom. Walter cited shoulder pain, and it only took Margaret 53 minutes to submit the completed work. The court recognized Margaret Keane as the author of all the paintings and ordered the payment of compensation of $ 4 million. Four years later, the Federal Court of Appeals overturned the compensation, but left the authorship to Margaret.

Tim Burton, a famous director who was impressed by the story of a talented artist, made a film called "Big Eyes", which tells about the life of Margaret Keane, her family and her paintings. The film was released on wide screens in 2014, became very popular, received many positive feedback and won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress.

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The story of a great scandal. The Greatest Scam in 20th Century Art

Foreword

The enchanting fame of the artist Walter Keane in the middle of the last century was amazing. His paintings were extremely popular all over the world. Reproductions of his works were sold in almost all stores and gas stations in America and Europe. Posters depicting paintings hung in student and worker dormitories. Postcards were sold in all kiosks. Walter made millions. And the reason for the success was clear: he painted charming kids with huge eyes - like saucers. Some critics called the "big-eyed" kitsch, others - masterpieces. Nevertheless, eminent collectors and museums of the world considered it an honor to acquire these canvases.

And how shocked the public was when they found out that the author of these paintings was the wife of Walter Keane. She worked for him like a guest worker, in the basement or in a room with curtained windows and closed door for many years. These beautiful big-eyed children were painted by Margaret Keane. Tired of humiliation, she sued her husband - she told the whole world who the real author of the works was. And she won, receiving $ 4 million for moral damages.

Incredible story left no one indifferent famous director and admirer of Keane's talent Tim Burton. In Hollywood, he made a film about the greatest scam in the art world of the 20th century. The picture comes out on Russian screens on January 15, 2015.

"Saccharin, kitsch, madness"

Incredibly huge eyes, like saucers, on the faces of small charming children. Somehow very sad. With tears in his eyes. With wet cats in your arms. Dressed in costumes of harlequins and ballerinas. Lonely sitting in the fields among the flowers. Innocent and lost. Thoughtful and strict.

Such touching paintings of sad children became extremely popular throughout the world in the 1950s and 1960s. Reproductions of paintings with sad children were then sold in almost all stores and gas stations in America and Europe. Posters were hung in student and worker dormitories, postcards were sold in every kiosk.

Art critics treated the sentimental "big-eyed" in different ways. Some called the paintings "delightful masterpieces." Others - "simplicity of images." The third - "art sensation". Fourth - "tasteless clumsy work."

The well-known American publicist, editor and founder of Feral House publishing house Adam Parfrey spoke about the paintings in general in three words (it's good that they are not obscene): "Sakharin, kitsch, madness."

And the Archbishop of New York, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, called the paintings just "weepy folk art."

But the people were crazy about these big-eyed children! Then these works were exhibited in galleries in San Francisco, New York, Chicago, New Orleans ... Today you can admire them in the most prestigious museums in the world: the National Museum contemporary art in Madrid, National Museum Western art in Tokyo, at the National Museum of Modern Art in Mexico City, the Museum of Fine Arts in Bruges, the Museum fine arts in Tennessee, the Hawaii State Capitol, and even the United Nations headquarters in New York. Faerie Glory!

Incredibly huge eyes like saucers on the faces of small adorable kids.

Somehow very sad.

"Delirium of a Crazy"

For 30 years, Walter Keane was considered the author of wonderful creations. Hollywood actress Jane Howard even made such an unexpected comparison in 1965: “If an outstanding jazz musician and composer Howard Johnson is compared to super-delicious ice cream, then Walter can be called the “Big Eye of Art.”

“Kin makes amazing portraits! - admired another admirer of Walter's talent - an American artist, magazine publisher and film director Andy Warhol. “If it wasn’t, then he wouldn’t have so many fans.”

Walter was praised in his time by very famous american artists Thomas Kinkade, Dale Chihuly and Lisa Frank. And such stars of the time as American Hollywood actresses Joan Crawford, Natalie Wood and Kim Novak, as well as leading rock and roll artist Jerry Lewis, were even asked to paint their portraits in this then new striking style.

"Kin makes amazing portraits!"

Andy Warhole

Walter earned millions of dollars in year. Wife - not a penny.

But Walter was lying. As it turned out, his wife, the brilliant artist Margaret, as a guest worker, painted in a closed basement. Or in a room with curtained windows and a closed door. She voluntarily gave herself into slavery to support her husband's success. And Walter, having received the “product”, just put his signature at the bottom of the canvas. The wife covered her husband for a long time, praising him in articles and interviews. Walter himself called his success a "creative union of artists", one of whom simply mixed paints, referring to his wife. Any attempts by his wife to tell the truth, he called "nonsense of a madwoman." Walter was making millions of dollars a year. Wife - not a penny. All this time she was a hostage to her own talent and the tyranny of her husband.

Why is there sadness if God is good?

Margaret Keane was born in 1927 in Tennessee. Now she is 88 years old. For her age, she looks great. Here is what she says about herself in her short autobiography:

“I was a sickly child. I often felt miserable and lonely. At the same time, I was also very shy. Started painting early...

I grew up in the southern part of the United States in what is often referred to as the "Bible Belt" Perhaps this place influenced my faith. And my grandmother instilled in me deep respect to the Bible, although I was not well versed in religious matters.

I was a sickly child.

often felt feel unhappy, lonely.

I grew up believing in God, but because I was naturally inquisitive, I had many questions that remained unanswered.

I was tormented by questions about the meaning of life. Why are we here? Why are there pain, sorrow, and death if God is good? I had a lot of whys. These questions, it seems to me, were later reflected in the eyes of the children in my paintings.

The domestic tyrant forced her to paint pictures and be silent.

"I will kill your daughter if you reveal the secret"

Margaret married Walter Keane in 1955. Both had families prior to this meeting. By her own admission, eight of the ten years of her marriage to him were the most terrible in her life. The domestic tyrant forced her to paint pictures and be silent. He wanted fame and money.

In 1965, their marriage broke up. She left home in San Francisco. And settled in Hawaii. She married sports writer Dan McGuire in 1970 in Honolulu.

But at parting, Walter threatened Margaret: if she stopped drawing for him, he would kill both her and her daughter from her first marriage. The unfortunate woman vowed that she would continue to secretly write for him.

She confessed to her new husband with tears in her eyes: “You are the only one to whom I can tell my secret. I painted each of these paintings, each portrait with big eyes was created by me. But no one but you will know about it. And you should also keep quiet, because Walter is a terrible person.

But time will pass, and Margaret herself will want to get rid of her humiliating slavery. One day she said to herself: “Enough is enough! Enough of these lies. From now on, I will only speak the truth."

You are the only one I can tell my secret to.

Eyes say more about a person than he knows about himself

Her work during her marriage to Walter, when she lived in his shadow, tends to depict sad children and women. And most often - on a dark background. But after the divorce and moving to Hawaii, the pictures became more interesting, brighter and more joyful. This is noted by all admirers of her talent. In social networks, she now advertises her paintings as "Tears of Joy" and "Tears of Happiness."

“Questions about the meaning of being, it seems to me, were later reflected in the eyes of my children on canvases,” Margaret admitted in her autobiography. – Eyes for me are always something like a “coordinating center” of a person, because the soul is reflected and lives in them. I am sure that the spiritual essence of most people is concentrated in them, and they - the eyes - say more about a person than he knows about himself and what others think about him. You just have to look deep into them."

"You only need look in deep in them deep».

If Margaret were asked how inspiration came to her during the time when she lived with her tyrant husband, she would most likely shrug her shoulders and answer: “I don’t know.” Pictures just poured out of her.

“But now,” she says, “I know how all these extraordinary images were born. These sad children were actually my own. deep feelings which I could not express in any other way. It was in their eyes that I was looking for answers to my questions: why is there so much grief in the world? Why do we have to get sick and die? Why do people shoot each other? Why do relatives humiliate their relatives?

And quietly adds:

- And I would also like to know the answer, why did my husband do this to me? He behaved like a despot. Why did I have to suffer so much? Why am I in this chaos?

These sad children were actually mine own deep feelings.

“When I went to the bedroom, I found my husband with prostitutes there”

Margaret led a reclusive life. It was this existence that her husband Walter had created for her. And he himself lived social life- stormy and depraved.

“He was always surrounded by three or four girls,” Margaret recalls. They swam naked in the pool. The girls were drunk and arrogant. Seeing me, they threw insulting remarks. It happened that when I went to bed after a day of work at the easel, I found Walter there with three prostitutes.

There were also very eminent guests visiting the Keanes. For example, they were often visited by show business stars: popular American rock band The Beach Boys, French chansonnier and actor Maurice Chevalier, musical star Howard Keel. But Margaret rarely saw them, because she was painting for 16 hours a day.

Later, journalists asked her:

Did the servants know what was going on?

“No, the door was always locked,” she answered grimly. - And the curtains are closed.

The newspapermen were shocked:

“Have you lived all these years with your curtains closed?”

“Yes,” Margaret recalls with a shudder. “Sometimes, when his girls came to him, he escorted me to the basement. And when he wasn't home, he used to call every hour to make sure I didn't run away. All these years I lived like in a prison.

“But did you know about his affairs? The fact that he sold your paintings for a lot of money? meticulous journalists asked.

“I didn't care what he did,” she shrugged.

All these years I lived like in a prison.

"He had a very bright life».

Joan Keene

A newspaper chronicle testifies to the recklessness of Walter. So, in San Francisco, his rude antics were noted in newspaper articles and notes. For example, it was written about his skirmish with the owner of the yacht club Enrico Banducci. The case was taken to court. Keane was charged with hooliganism, but the lawyer won an acquittal.

Witnesses to the case said that Walter beat a woman in the hostel, threw a heavy phone book at Banducci, and then "crawled on the floor with a hat made of napkins."

“He had a very colorful life,” laughed his first wife, Joan Keane.

“He punched my only friend, a dog, in the stomach.”

During one of the interviews, Margaret was asked:

You must have been very lonely.

“Yes,” agreed Margaret, “because my husband did not allow me to have friends. If I tried to elude him, he immediately followed me. I had the only friend at home - a chihuahua dog, I loved her very much. This little dog meant so much to me. And Walter once took and kicked her in the stomach. And ordered to get rid of her. I had to give the dog to a shelter.

The husband was very jealous and domineering. He once seriously warned me: "If you ever tell the truth about yourself and about me, I will destroy you." And hit me in the face. He scared me a lot. I believed in his threats: he could do whatever he wanted. I knew that among the mafiosi he had many acquaintances. He tried to hit me again, but I said, “Where I come from, men don't hit women. If you raise your hand to me again, I will leave.” After that, he fell silent.

"If you ever tell the truth about yourself and me, I will destroy you."

Walter Keane

Walter every year demanded that Margaret do more and more pictures.

But Margaret regrets that she let him do everything else, which was even worse.

“For example, he would come home from parties and immediately demand that I show him what I drew during his absence. And I resignedly obeyed.

Walter demanded that Margaret do more and more paintings every year. He often dictated his subjects, which, in his opinion, could be commercially successful: "Do one portrait with a clown costume." Or: "Draw two children on a horse."

Prophetic dream of Walter's grandmother

- One day my husband had the idea that I would create a huge canvas, and he would hang this “his” masterpiece at the UN headquarters or in the White House. I didn't say exactly, and I didn't ask. But he gave me a hard time - one month. Then I worked all day long. Virtually no sleep.

The masterpiece was called "Tomorrow Forever". It depicts hundreds of children of all faiths with big sad eyes. They stand in a column that stretches to the horizon.

In 1964 the organizers world exhibition(Expo (Expo) - international exhibition, which is a symbol of industrialization and open area to showcase technical and technological advances. - Ed.) hung the canvas in their education pavilion. Walter felt at the pinnacle of success and was very proud of his "accomplishment".

Walter felt at the pinnacle of success and was very proud of his "accomplishment".

In his memoirs, he wrote that he had already dead grandmother told him about her extraordinary vision. As if Michelangelo himself appeared to her in a dream and said that he close friend the Keane family, or even a seemingly distant relative, and put his name on one of "his" canvases. And leaving, Michelangelo said: "The masterpieces of your grandson tomorrow and forever will live in the hearts and minds of people, just like my work in the Sistine Chapel."

But maybe it was not a grandmother's dream, but Walter himself?

"Masterpieces of your grandson tomorrow and forever will live on in the hearts and minds of people just like my work in the Sistine Chapel."

Walter was not one of the melancholic people that he was. allegedly depicted on their canvases.

"Insolent and greedy type"

Walter Stanley Keane was born on October 7, 1915 in Lincoln, Nebraska, USA. He died on December 27, 2000 at the age of 85. He was 12 years older than Margaret.

Walter was very popular with TV reporters because of his eccentric behavior, manner of speaking about himself in the third person and not hiding his vanity and disdain for others. "Impudent and greedy type" - this is how journalists spoke about him.

Here is what The Guardian columnist Jon Ronson wrote about him: "Walter was not one of the melancholy people he supposedly portrayed in his canvases." According to his biographers, Adam Parfrey and Cletus Nelson, CEO of Feral House, he was a terrible drunk. More than anything, he loved himself and women. Didn't miss a single skirt. He lied a lot and without a twinge of conscience.

This is how Walter recalled his first meeting with Margaret in his 1983 memoir: “Margaret approached me at an open art exhibition in San Francisco in 1955. “I love your pictures,” she told me. - You - greatest artist of everyone I've ever seen. And you are the most beautiful. It's a pity that the children in your pictures are so sad. It hurts me to look into their eyes. I would like to ask you for permission to touch your paintings with your hands in order to feel this childish sadness. But I categorically told her: “No, never touch my paintings.” I was then by an unknown artist. Yes, and many more years will pass after this meeting, until they begin to accept me in best houses America and Europe".

Walter then describes the moment of their intimacy with Margaret. Tells a lot of intimate moments. And, according to him, the next morning after a stormy night, Margaret allegedly confessed to him: “You are the greatest lover in the world.” They soon got married.

Margaret, on the other hand, recalls their first meeting in a completely different way: “He dragged me into bed by force, and in the morning he said that I would be his fictitious wife and would work for him as much as needed - to draw children with big eyes, because they sell well on the market . And for disagreeing, he threatened to ruin my life: not to let me draw for myself. I had to agree." But after some time she admitted: “Actually, then he just oozed charm. He could charm anyone."

“Actually, back then he was just oozing with charm. He could charm anyone".

The life of a domestic tyrant

Walter grew up in a family with ten other children. His father Stanley Keane was born in Ireland and his mother was from Denmark. The Keanes' home was near downtown Lincoln, where they made most of their money by selling shoes. He also got into this business. In the early 1930s, Walter moved to Los Angeles, California, where he graduated from City College. In the 1940s he moved to Berkeley with his fiancee Barbara. Both were real estate brokers. They were selling houses.

Their first child, a son, died shortly after birth in the hospital. In 1947 they had healthy girl Susan Hale Keene. Walter and Barbara bought a huge house designed by famous architect Julia Morgan, who designed Hearst Castle in her time.

In 1948, the Keene family traveled around Europe. She lived in Heidelberg, then in Paris. And it was in the French capital that Walter began to study art, painting, first of all, nude. His wife Barbara was a culinary student and studied dress design at various fashion houses in Paris. When they returned home to Berkeley, they went into other business. They came up with the Susie Keane Puppeteens, a learning toy that taught children how to speak French and used gramophone records and books to teach. The largest room in their house, the “banquet hall,” became a workshop that housed what was essentially an assembly line for making toys—wooden dolls with various elaborate costumes. The dolls were sold in expensive stores like Saks Fifth Avenue.

And it was in the French capital that Walter began to study art, painting, first of all, nude.

Barbara Keene later became head of fashion design at the University of California at Berkeley. And Walter Keane subsequently closed his real estate office and toy company in order to devote his time to painting.

He divorced Barbara in 1952. And in 1953, on one of art exhibitions Walter met Margaret. She was married to Frank Ulbrish, with whom she had a daughter, Jane. He lived with Margaret for ten years. After his divorce from Margaret, Walter married his third wife, Joan Mervyn, a Canadian. Lived in London. They had two children, but this marriage also ended in divorce.

"My soul was scarred"

Keane told reporters that the idea of painting big-eyed children came to him when he was studying painting in Europe as a student.

“My soul was as if scarred while studying art in Berlin in 1946 - then the world was moving away from the horrors of World War II,” he said with pathos. - The memory of the war and the torment of innocent people was indestructible. It was read in the eyes of all survivors of this nightmare. Especially in the eyes of children.

I saw children with huge eyes in thin faces fighting over the remains of the festive food that someone had thrown into the trash can. Then I felt real despair, and even fury. In those moments, I made the first pencil sketches of these dirty, sad, angry, ragged victims of the war with their crippled minds and bodies, with their matted hair and perpetual coryza. That's where my new life like an artist who draws children with big eyes.

Memory of war and torment innocent people was indestructible.

After all, in children's eyes all the questions and answers of humanity are hidden. I am sure that if humanity looks deep into the souls of little children, then it will always go along the right way without any navigators. I wanted other people to know about these eyes, so I started drawing them. I want my paintings to reach your hearts and make you scream, 'Do something!'"

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Fans of the dark master are waiting for Tim Burton's newest film, sometimes admiring a selection of very large, very peculiar, so familiar eyes.

The name of the film is "Big Eyes". It tells the story of husband and wife - two artists, Margaret and Walter Keane, who rose to fame in the 1950s and 60s. Their theme was - children and girls with eyes like those of a doe, now they are reminiscent of precious moments XX - th century. Those moments in which those eyes were a symbol of a bygone era.

Reading the life story and joint work of two artists, you understand and feel the terrible character of the heroes of the paintings - sweet, sweet, but demonic - it seems that they are a mirror of the relationship between Keane and his wife.

One day they ended up in court proving to the world who was the real author of Big Eye. Was it Walter, the public face of the Keane realm? Or Margaret, a housewife, as her husband claimed, she couldn't even draw a sunset?

Life was not so easy for Margaret, and she spoke. "For many years, I let my husband take credit for my paintings. But one day, unable to bear the deception any longer, I left him and my home in California and moved to Hawaii." In 1965, she received a divorce. And in 1970, she admitted on a radio show that all the "eyes" of the paintings were hers.

In response, Walter compared himself to Rembrandt, El Greco and Michelangelo, and said that he was "amazed" by Margaret's proclamations. The solution was found - an artistic duel in front of the judges. But Walter didn't come! He stated that he had a shoulder injury and could not write. And Margaret, in front of the jury, calmly and quickly - in just 53 minutes, wrote the next Big Eyes, which ended the dispute.

The court ordered Walter to pay $4 million in damages in 1986.

There was a lot of interesting things in this story, and I think it's better to watch the film, the premiere of which - hooray (!), Is gradually approaching! Tim Burton promised her for Christmas and recently confirmed his promise.

We are waiting for a film in which the story will be disturbing, romantic and, they say, just creepy. And to the fullest enjoy Burton's biographical work, starring Amy Adams and Christoph Waltz.
Hopefully we too will have "Big Eyes" in theaters this December.

But how good are these works? Then Adam Parfrey called them "saccharin, kitsch, madness", the bishop called them "wailing folk art".And at that time, the buyer continued to absorb ineverything from postcards to large canvases.

Now many critics call these works amazing masterpieces, and paintings by Margaret Keane are in public collections around the world: National Museum contemporary art, Madrid; National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo; National Museum of Modern Art, Mexico City; Musee Communal Des Beaux-Arts, Bruges; Tennessee Museum of Fine Arts, Nashville, TN; Brooks Memorial Museum, Memphis, TN; Hawaii State Capitol, Honolulu; United Nations, New York and others.

So, December is the month of the premiere, and of course, the film must be amazing, because in that bizarre universe created by Tim Burton with inimitable black humor, there is not a single dull moment!

Today, the topic of our post will be a famous American artist, whose work has stirred up the world and forced millions to buy famous paintings. In 1960, her melancholy paintings of girls with big eyes were at the peak of popularity, and her ignoble husband reaped all the laurels, having appropriated the authorship of all her paintings. But this is a story with a happy ending, so read on, see the pictures "Big Eyes", the best of them on our website.

Margaret and Walter Keane met in 1955 at an exhibition. Shortly before that, she went through a painful divorce and was left all alone with a small child. Walter immediately struck Margaret with his charm and pretty soon they got married. The newly-made husband sincerely admired the paintings of his beloved, he was talented entrepreneur and even then he saw what success awaited him. Slowly, in front of the entrance to one of the clubs in San Francisco, Walter Keane, with the permission of his wife, began to sell her paintings. Margaret did not even guess what a dirty trick lies in this whole undertaking. But very soon the secret became clear, and Margaret Keane found out about her husband's scam. She gave Walter a good thrashing, but he was able to convince with quite reasonable arguments the profitability of such an enterprise, they say that customers are more willing to communicate directly with the artist himself, and that society will be reluctant to perceive a woman in the field of art, and the farce has already gone so far that exposure may threaten numerous lawsuits. Margaret gave up.

In 1960, pictures of girls with big eyes became incredibly popular:
millions of reproductions were sold daily in shops, original paintings were bought up at lightning speed. Poor Margaret worked 16 hours a day, producing new masterpieces, while Walter Keane himself reveled in fame, twisted numerous novels and simply burned through life.

In 1964, Walter Keane demanded that Margaret draw something phenomenal that could hang in some cult place and perpetuate his personality. The result was a huge canvas " Tomorrow forever", Where a bunch of kids with sad eyes stand in a column. But eminent art critics rated the masterpiece extremely negatively, Walter was furious.

On the tenth anniversary of her marriage, Margaret Keane plucked up courage and divorced her husband, promising to regularly supply him with new portions of paintings. She went to Hawaii, where she became one of Jehovah's Witnesses. And in 1970 our artist decided to fight for her rights and told her story to the press. Walter was beside himself and numerous insults and threats rained down on Margaret. In the same year, she married the writer Dan McGuire for the third time. During this period, her work experienced a new round, the paintings were no longer so melancholy, and a modest smile was traced on the faces of the children.

Margaret had to prove her authorship in court, with which she did an excellent job in 53 minutes. The judge demanded that the former spouses draw one picture with big eyes right in the hall. While Walter was looking for reasons to refuse such a check, Margaret calmly painted a picture. The court had no questions left, Walter had to pay 4 million to his ex-wife. By the way, Keene was diagnosed with a delusional disorder, so it is quite possible that he absolutely sincerely considered himself the author of the paintings.

Gradually, interest in the paintings began to fade, because the public is capricious, it constantly demands something new.

In 2015, based on the autobiography of Margaret Keane, the feature film Big Eyes directed by Tim Burton was released, where the roles of the spouses were played by Amy Adams and Christopher Waltz. Burton himself is a big fan of Margaret 's work , he even has several of her paintings in his collection , and his two famous muses Lisa Mary and Helena Bonham Carter posed for the artist .

Margaret is now 87 years old and living her dream with her husband in North Carolina.

We hope you liked the story about big eyes, see photos of the paintings below.