Skip to main content

Margaret Keane Art

American, 1927-2022

Margaret Keane was born Peggy Doris Hawkins on September 15, 1927, in Nashville, Tennessee. When she was two years old, her eardrum was permanently damaged during a mastoid operation. Unable to hear properly, Keane learned to watch the eyes of the person talking to her to understand them. 

Keane started drawing as a child. At age 10 she took classes at the Watkins Institute in Nashville. She created her first oil painting of two little girls — one crying and one laughing — when she was 10 years old and gave the work to her grandmother. Keane became well known at the local church for her sketches of angels with big eyes and floppy wings. 

At age 18 Keane attended the Traphagen School of Design in New York City for a year. She initially earned money by painting clothing and baby cribs in the 1950s until she finally began painting portraits. Early on Keane experimented with kitsch. She worked in both acrylics and oil-based paints and limited the subjects of her artwork to women, children and familiar animals (cats, dogs and horses). 

Keane's paintings are recognizable by the oversized doe-like eyes of her subjects. She said she was always interested in the eyes and used to draw them in her school books. She began painting her signature "Keane eyes" when she started to create portraits of children. 

"Children do have big eyes,” Keane said. “When I'm doing a portrait, the eyes are the most expressive part of the face. And they just got bigger and bigger and bigger." 

Keane focused on the eyes as they better illuminate the inner person. The artist cited Modigliani's work as a major influence on the way she had painted women since 1959. Other artists who influenced her use of color, dimension and composition include Van Gogh, Picasso and Klimt. She was named a Fellow of the Society of Western Artists after exhibiting in three Annual Juried Shows in the M.H. De Young Memorial Museum in San Francisco.

Keane's works are in collections all over the world. Public collections include the National Museum of Contemporary Art in Madrid, the National Museum of Western Art in Tokyo, the Tennessee Fine Arts Museum in Nashville and more.

Find original Margaret Keane paintings and prints on 1stDibs.

(Biography provided by Lucille Lucas Gallery)

to
1
3
3
2
2
1
Boy in Red Shirt original lithograph by Margaret Keane c 1980
Boy in Red Shirt original lithograph by Margaret Keane c 1980

Boy in Red Shirt original lithograph by Margaret Keane c 1980

By Margaret Keane

Located in Paonia, CO

Boy in Red Shirt is an original lithograph by Margaret Keane c. 1980. A young boy in a red shirt is seen in front of a three story building in a city on a blue sky day. An ori...

Category

1980s Expressionist Margaret Keane Art

Materials

Lithograph

Modernist Portrait of a Woman
Modernist Portrait of a Woman

Modernist Portrait of a Woman

By Margaret Keane

Located in Milford, NH

A fine modernist portrait of a woman by American artist Margaret Hawkins Keane (1927-2022). Keane was born in Nashville,TN, and attributes her deep respect for the Bible and inspirations of her artwork to the relationship with her grandmother. In the 1960’s, while married to her second husband Walter, she was forced to paint and sell under his name, but during their divorce proceedings, she was able to prove that the paintings were actually done by her and the court determined that she was able to paint under her own name again. She became known for painting women and children with large black sad eyes...

Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Margaret Keane Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Related Items
Till the Clouds Roll By 1945 Frank Sinatra Mid Century Modern Hollywood Film WPA
Till the Clouds Roll By 1945 Frank Sinatra Mid Century Modern Hollywood Film WPA

Till the Clouds Roll By 1945 Frank Sinatra Mid Century Modern Hollywood Film WPA

By Richard Whorf

Located in New York, NY

Till the Clouds Roll By 1945 Frank Sinatra Mid Century Modern Hollywood Film WPA TILL THE COULDS ROLL BY (Film Set), oil on canvas, 20 x 24 inches signed “Richard Whorf” lower right and signed and dated on the verso “R. Whorf/ Dec. 21, 1945. Frame by Hendenryk. ABOUT THE PAINTING This painting is from the collection of Barbara and Frank Sinatra, dated December 21, 1945 (just nine days after Frank Sinatra’s 30th birthday), and depicts the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Culver City backlot during the filming of Till the Clouds Roll By, the direction of the film having been taking over by Richard Whorf in December 1945. It is not presently clear if Whorf gave the Sinatras this painting as a gift, as the presence of the Dalzell Hatfield Galleries label on the verso indicates the painting may have been sourced there. Frank and Nancy Sinatra acquired a number of works from Dalzell Hatfield Galleries during the 1940’s, or perhaps they framed it for the couple. Sinatra performed “Old Man River’ in the film. Sinatra and June Allyson are depicted in the center of the painting. PROVENANCE From the Estate of Mrs. Nancy Sinatra; Dalzell Hatfield Galleries, Ambassador Hotel, Los Angeles. An image of the Dalzell Hatfield label and the back of the original frame (which we replaced with a stunning Heydenrk frame) are attached. Nancy Sinatra was Fran's first wife. Nancy Rose Barbato was 17 years old when she met Frank Sinatra, an 18-year-old singer from Hoboken, on the Jersey Shore in the summer of 1934. They married in 1939 at Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Jersey City where Frank gave Nancy a recording of a song dedicated to her titled "Our Love" as a wedding present. The young newlyweds lived and worked in New Jersey, where Frank worked as an unknown singing waiter and master of ceremonies at the Rustic Cabin while Nancy worked as a secretary at the American Type Founders. His musical career took off after singing with big band leaders Harry James and Tommy Dorsey...

Category

1940s American Modern Margaret Keane Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

“Mascara (Mask)" 2000 by Justino Alves Portuguese Contemporary Abstract Portrait
“Mascara (Mask)" 2000 by Justino Alves Portuguese Contemporary Abstract Portrait

“Mascara (Mask)" 2000 by Justino Alves Portuguese Contemporary Abstract Portrait

By Justino Alves

Located in Yardley, PA

About this work: “Mascara (Mask)" 2000 by Justino Alves (Portuguese, 1940-2015). A magnetic work by one of Portugal’s most distinguished postwar painters. This painting has all of t...

Category

Early 2000s Modern Margaret Keane Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Magicien, 1978 Lithograph on Arches Paper, Signed, 68.5 x 51.5 cm
Magicien, 1978 Lithograph on Arches Paper, Signed, 68.5 x 51.5 cm

Magicien, 1978 Lithograph on Arches Paper, Signed, 68.5 x 51.5 cm

By Jean Jansem

Located in Les Acacias GE, GE

Jean Jansem (1920-2013) – Magicien, 1978 Lithographie sur papier Arches, Signée en bas à droite, justifiée 68,5 x 51,5 cm / 76 x 54 cm Bibliographie: CR Jansem, 1984, n°405 "M...

Category

Late 20th Century Expressionist Margaret Keane Art

Materials

Lithograph

Ballerine sur fond vert, 1995, original lithograph by Jean Jansem, handsigned
Ballerine sur fond vert, 1995, original lithograph by Jean Jansem, handsigned

Ballerine sur fond vert, 1995, original lithograph by Jean Jansem, handsigned

By Jean Jansem

Located in Les Acacias GE, GE

Jean Jansem (1920-2013) Ballerine sur fond vert, 1995 Lithographie sur papier Arches, justifiée et numérotée 48/100 Signée en bas à droite 22 x 17 cm / 32 x 26 cm Bibliographie: ...

Category

Late 20th Century Expressionist Margaret Keane Art

Materials

Lithograph

Ballerine au Chignon, 1986 Lithograph on Japanese Paper, Signed
Ballerine au Chignon, 1986 Lithograph on Japanese Paper, Signed

Ballerine au Chignon, 1986 Lithograph on Japanese Paper, Signed

By Jean Jansem

Located in Les Acacias GE, GE

Jean Jansem (1920-2013) – Ballerine au chignon, 1986 Lithographie sur papier Japon Signée en bas à droite Justifiée 67 x 51 cm / 76 x 53,5 cm Bibliographie: CR Jansem, 1993, n°56 ...

Category

Late 19th Century Expressionist Margaret Keane Art

Materials

Lithograph

Separe - Original Lithograph and Offset by George Grosz - 1923

Separe - Original Lithograph and Offset by George Grosz - 1923

By George Grosz

Located in Roma, IT

Separe is an original offset and lithograph realized by George Grosz. The artwork is the plate n.22 from the portfolio Ecce Homo published between 1922/1923, edition of Der Malik-Ve...

Category

1920s Expressionist Margaret Keane Art

Materials

Lithograph, Offset

Late Afternoon  - Modernist Mid-Century Midwest Oil Painting
Late Afternoon  - Modernist Mid-Century Midwest Oil Painting

Late Afternoon - Modernist Mid-Century Midwest Oil Painting

By William Schwartz

Located in Marco Island, FL

A quintessential American Scene landscape painted by the Chicago Modernist, William Schwartz. Workers in tilled fields surrounding a farmstead under dramatic skies. Painted in 1935...

Category

1930s American Modern Margaret Keane Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Strained Tomato Pigeon - Original Colorful Whimsical Bird Painting on Wood Panel
Strained Tomato Pigeon - Original Colorful Whimsical Bird Painting on Wood Panel

Strained Tomato Pigeon - Original Colorful Whimsical Bird Painting on Wood Panel

By JJ Galloway

Located in Los Angeles, CA

JJ Galloway is an internationally collected artist known for her whimsical paintings and sculptures that combine people, animals, and food. Using oils, watercolors, and mixed media, ...

Category

2010s Pop Art Margaret Keane Art

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

That It's Fun
That It's Fun

That It's Fun

By John Randall Nelson

Located in Los Angeles, CA

John Randall Nelson’s paintings are layered with his own personal language consisting of patterns, symbols, and archetypes that may not make any literal sense but play on subconsciou...

Category

2010s Pop Art Margaret Keane Art

Materials

Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic, Panel

NYC 1939 World's Fair Mural Study American Scene WPA Modern Mid 20th Century
NYC 1939 World's Fair Mural Study American Scene WPA Modern Mid 20th Century

NYC 1939 World's Fair Mural Study American Scene WPA Modern Mid 20th Century

By Eugene Savage

Located in New York, NY

NYC 1939 World's Fair Mural Study American Scene WPA Modern Mid 20th Century Eugene Savage (1883 – 1978) 1939 World’s Fair Mural Study 45 x 30 inches Oil on Canvas Signed lower right The painting is part of a 1,000 piece collection of art and objects from the 1939 World’s Fair. The collection as a whole is available. Savage created the mural for the facade of the Communications Building. An image of the completed mural, along with a published postcard, is part of the listing. Note the center top female figure, she resembles the figure in the offered painting. BIO Eugene Francis Savage was born in Covington, Indiana 1883. He underwent various forms of art training in the early years. He was a pupil of The Corcoran Gallery and The Art Institute of Chicago, and was later awarded a fellowship to study in Rome at The American Academy. While under the spell of that ancient city the young artist began to render historic figures that were suitable for the classic style needed for mural painting in the traditional manor. During this period he was able to study and observe Roman and Greek sculpture, although much of the academic training was accomplished by using plaster casts along with the incorporation of live models. This method survived and was used efficiently throughout Europe and the United States. After leaving the Academy, Savage was commissioned to paint numerous murals throughout the United States and Europe. This artist received acclaim for the works he produced while under commissions from various sources. This young master was a contemporary of Mexican muralists David Alfaro Siqueiros (1896-1974), Jose Clemente Orozco (1883-1949) and Diego Rivera (1886-1957). In this period he was to show the influence of his contemporaries in formulating a modern style. Savage also played a vital role in the WPA Federal Art program, and he was a member of The Mural Art Guild.. Savage was elected an associate member of The National Academy of Design in 1924 and a full member in 1926. From 1947, he held a professorship at Yale University where he taught mural painting, and some of his students went on to significant positions. By this time the artist had painted large-scale murals at Columbia, Yale University, Buffalo N.Y., Dallas, Texas, Chicago, Indiana, along with other commissioned works. He also achieved recognition for a series of murals commissioned by the Matson Shipping Line and completed around 1940. For this commission, Savage made many exacting studies of customs and folkways of the Hawaiian natives. However, the award-winning murals were not installed as planned but were put in storage during the war years when the ships were used for troop transportation and were in danger of attack. However the mural images were reproduced and distributed by the shipping company including nine of the mural scenes that were made into lithographed menu covers in 1948. The American Institute of Graphic Arts awarded certificates of excellence for their graphic production, and the Smithsonian Institute exhibited the works in 1949. Today Savages' Hawaiian Art production is held in high regard by collectors of Hawaiian nostalgia. In later years the artist focused his attention on a theme that dealt with the customs and tribal traditions of the Seminole Indians of Florida. He produced many variations of this theme throughout his lifetime, and the pictures were usually modest scale easel paintings, precise and carefully delineated. Many of these pictures incorporate Surrealistic elements and show some minor stylistic influences of the painters Kay Sage...

Category

1930s American Modern Margaret Keane Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

School of Paris, Sleeping Woman, Nude, Oil on Canvas
School of Paris, Sleeping Woman, Nude, Oil on Canvas

School of Paris, Sleeping Woman, Nude, Oil on Canvas

Located in Saint Amans des cots, FR

Oil on Canvas by Fortunato Pirazzini (1907-2003), School of Paris, c. 1950 - "Sleeping Woman, Nude". This captivating oil painting, titled "Sleeping Woman, Nude", was created by Fort...

Category

1950s Modern Margaret Keane Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Lithuanian French Artist Arbit Blatas Lithograph Pierre Bonnard School of Paris
Lithuanian French Artist Arbit Blatas Lithograph Pierre Bonnard School of Paris

Lithuanian French Artist Arbit Blatas Lithograph Pierre Bonnard School of Paris

By Arbit Blatas

Located in Surfside, FL

Arbit Blatas (1908 – 1999) Hand signed and numbered to lower edge Ecole de Paris Portrait Printed on Arches French deckle edged art paper 1962 Arbit Blatas (1908 – 1999), born Nicol...

Category

1960s Expressionist Margaret Keane Art

Materials

Lithograph

Previously Available Items
Madame Butterfly
Madame Butterfly

Margaret KeaneMadame Butterfly, c.1986

Sold

H 39.5 in W 38.5 in D 1.5 in

Madame Butterfly

By Margaret Keane

Located in San Francisco, CA

This artwork titled "Madame Butterfly" 1986, is an original color serigraph with gold addition by noted American artist Margaret Keane, 1927-2022. It is hand signed and numbered HH 109/150 in pencil by the artist. The image size is 24 x 24 inches, framed size is 39.5 x 38.5 inches. Custom framed in a wooden gold frame, with green fabric matting, gold color bevel and three different colors fillet. It is in excellent condition, the frame have some minor restorations, barely visible. About the artist. Margaret D. H. Keane was born 1927 in Tennessee, and attributes her deep respect for the Bible and inspirations of her artwork to the relationship with her grandmother. She later became one of Jehovah's Witnesses, which she said changed her life for the better. In the 1960s, Margaret Keane's artwork was sold under the name of her husband, Walter Keane. He locked her in a room and forced her to paint,while taking credit for her work. Conflict over that issue was cited as one of the reasons they divorced. Neither wanting to relinquish rights to the artwork, Walter and Margaret's divorce proceedings went all the way to federal court. At the hearing, Margaret created a painting in front of the judge to prove that she was the artist. Walter declined to paint before the court, citing a sore shoulder. In 1986, the courts sided with her, enabling her to paint under her own name. Her works while living in her husband's shadow tended to depict sad children in a dark setting, but after divorcing, moving to Hawaii, and becoming one of Jehovah's Witnesses, her paintings took on a happier, brighter style. Keane is a fixture in popular culture. Some of her well-known fans over the years have included actresses Joan Crawford and Natalie Wood, whom she painted portraits of; filmmaker Tim Burton, who commissioned Keane to paint Lisa Marie; and animator Craig McCracken, whose characters the Powerpuff Girls are based on Keane's 'waifs'; additionally the Girls' schoolteacher is named "Ms. Keane". 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 shrieks, before the picture in question was shown to the camera and audience as the punch line. • 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. • Weird Al Yankovic's song Velvet Elvis, in which the narrator says he needs "no pictures of Mexican kids with those really big eyes or dogs playing poker". • In season 3, episode 20 of 90210 (Women on the Verge), Annie is described as looking "like a Keane painting...

Category

Late 20th Century American Realist Margaret Keane Art

Materials

Screen

Wide Eyes Waif -  like the Movie Poster from Tim Burton
Wide Eyes Waif -  like the Movie Poster from Tim Burton

Wide Eyes Waif - like the Movie Poster from Tim Burton

By Margaret Keane

Located in Miami, FL

The image of Wide Eyes exemplifies Margaret Keane's signature style. However, not all of her work rises to a high level. This painting has punch and power tempered by sensitivity and...

Category

1970s American Realist Margaret Keane Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Boy in Red Shirt original lithograph by Margaret Keane c 1980
Boy in Red Shirt original lithograph by Margaret Keane c 1980

Boy in Red Shirt original lithograph by Margaret Keane c 1980

By Margaret Keane

Located in Paonia, CO

Boy in Red Shirt is an original lithograph by Margaret Keane c. 1980. A young boy in a red shirt is seen in front of a three story building in a city on a blue sky day. An original color lithograph limited edition 72/100 and signed in pencil by the artist. In very good condition with artist's stamp in bottom left corner and a faint line from the figure's hand that goes 2 inches towards bottom margin. Can be seen in detail photo. Could have happened when printed. Margaret Keane born Peggy Doris Hawkins on September 15, 1927 in Nashville, Tennessee. When she was two her eardrum was permanently damaged during a mastoid operation. Unable to hear properly she learned to watch the eyes of the person talking to her to understand them. Keane started drawing as a child and at age 10 she took classes at the Watkins Institute in Nashville. Keane painted her first oil painting of two little girls one crying and one laughing when she was 10 years old and gave the drawing to her grandmother. She was well known at the local church for her sketches of angels...

Category

1980s Expressionist Margaret Keane Art

Materials

Lithograph

San Francisco, Girl with Mission Dolores original lithograph by Margaret Keane
San Francisco, Girl with Mission Dolores original lithograph by Margaret Keane

San Francisco, Girl with Mission Dolores original lithograph by Margaret Keane

By Margaret Keane

Located in Paonia, CO

San Francisco, Girl with Mission Dolores is an original lithograph by Margaret Keane c. 1980. A young girl in a head scarf is seen in front of the Mission Dolores in San Francisco, California on a blue sky day. An original color lithograph limited edition  72/100 and signed in pencil by the artist. In very good condition with artist's stamp in bottom left corner. Margaret Keane born Peggy Doris Hawkins on  September 15, 1927 in Nashville, Tennessee. When she was two her eardrum was permanently damaged during a mastoid operation. Unable to hear properly she learned to watch the eyes of the person talking to her to understand them. Keane started drawing as a child and at age 10 she took classes at the Watkins  Institute in Nashville. Keane painted her first oil painting of two little girls one crying and one laughing when she was 10 years old and gave the drawing to her grandmother. She was well known at the local church for her sketches of angels...

Category

1980s Expressionist Margaret Keane Art

Materials

Lithograph

San Francisco, Girl with Mission Dolores
San Francisco, Girl with Mission Dolores

San Francisco, Girl with Mission Dolores

By Margaret Keane

Located in San Francisco, CA

This artwork "San Francisco, Girl with Mission Dolores" is a color lithograph by noted American artist Margaret Keane, b.1927. It is hand signed and numbered XXXIV/C in pencil by the artist. The image size is 19.25 x 15.75 inches, framed size is 33.75 x 29 inches. Custom framed in wooden silver frame, with creme color matting and black color spacer. It is in excellent condition. About the artist. Margaret D. H. Keane was born 1927 in Tennessee, and attributes her deep respect for the Bible and inspirations of her artwork to the relationship with her grandmother. She later became one of Jehovah's Witnesses, which she said changed her life for the better. In the 1960s, Margaret Keane's artwork was sold under the name of her husband, Walter Keane. He locked her in a room and forced her to paint,while taking credit for her work. Conflict over that issue was cited as one of the reasons they divorced. Neither wanting to relinquish rights to the artwork, Walter and Margaret's divorce proceedings went all the way to federal court. At the hearing, Margaret created a painting in front of the judge to prove that she was the artist. Walter declined to paint before the court, citing a sore shoulder. In 1986, the courts sided with her, enabling her to paint under her own name. Her works while living in her husband's shadow tended to depict sad children in a dark setting, but after divorcing, moving to Hawaii, and becoming one of Jehovah's Witnesses, her paintings took on a happier, brighter style. Keane is a fixture in popular culture. Some of her well-known fans over the years have included actresses Joan Crawford and Natalie Wood, whom she painted portraits of; filmmaker Tim Burton, who commissioned Keane to paint Lisa Marie; and animator Craig McCracken, whose characters the Powerpuff Girls are based on Keane's 'waifs'; additionally the Girls' schoolteacher is named "Ms. Keane". 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 shrieks, before the picture in question was shown to the camera and audience as the punch line. • 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. • Weird Al Yankovic's song Velvet Elvis, in which the narrator says he needs "no pictures of Mexican kids with those really big eyes or dogs playing poker...

Category

Late 20th Century American Realist Margaret Keane Art

Materials

Lithograph

San Francisco Girl with Coit Tower
San Francisco Girl with Coit Tower

San Francisco Girl with Coit Tower

By Margaret Keane

Located in San Francisco, CA

This artwork "San Francisco, Girl with Coit Tower" is a color lithograph by noted American artist Margaret Keane, b.1927. It is hand signed and numbered LXV/C in pencil by the artist. The image size is 19 x 15.5 inches, framed size is 33.75 x 29.25 inches. Custom framed in wooden rubbed/crackled gold leaf frame, with creme color matting and gold color spacer, see picture #1 and 7 for frame finish detail. It is in excellent condition. About the artist. Margaret D. H. Keane was born 1927 in Tennessee, and attributes her deep respect for the Bible and inspirations of her artwork to the relationship with her grandmother. She later became one of Jehovah's Witnesses, which she said changed her life for the better. In the 1960s, Margaret Keane's artwork was sold under the name of her husband, Walter Keane. He locked her in a room and forced her to paint,while taking credit for her work. Conflict over that issue was cited as one of the reasons they divorced. Neither wanting to relinquish rights to the artwork, Walter and Margaret's divorce proceedings went all the way to federal court. At the hearing, Margaret created a painting in front of the judge to prove that she was the artist. Walter declined to paint before the court, citing a sore shoulder. In 1986, the courts sided with her, enabling her to paint under her own name. Her works while living in her husband's shadow tended to depict sad children in a dark setting, but after divorcing, moving to Hawaii, and becoming one of Jehovah's Witnesses, her paintings took on a happier, brighter style. Keane is a fixture in popular culture. Some of her well-known fans over the years have included actresses Joan Crawford and Natalie Wood, whom she painted portraits of; filmmaker Tim Burton, who commissioned Keane to paint Lisa Marie; and animator Craig McCracken, whose characters the Powerpuff Girls are based on Keane's 'waifs'; additionally the Girls' schoolteacher is named "Ms. Keane". 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 shrieks, before the picture in question was shown to the camera and audience as the punch line. • 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. • Weird Al Yankovic's song Velvet Elvis, in which the narrator says he needs "no pictures of Mexican kids with those really big eyes or dogs playing...

Category

Late 20th Century American Realist Margaret Keane Art

Materials

Lithograph

Japanese Princess
Japanese Princess

Margaret KeaneJapanese Princess, 1977

Sold

H 40.75 in W 32.75 in D 2 in

Japanese Princess

By Margaret Keane

Located in San Francisco, CA

This artwork titled "Japanese Princes" is a color lithograph by noted American artist Margaret Keane, b.1927. It is hand signed and numbered 228/300 in pencil by the artist. The image size is 28.5 x 18 inches, framed size is 40.75 x 32.75 inches. Custom framed in wooden rustic rubbed black and gold frame, with light beige matting and gold color spacer. It is in excellent condition. About the artist. Margaret D. H. Keane was born 1927 in Tennessee, and attributes her deep respect for the Bible and inspirations of her artwork to the relationship with her grandmother. She later became one of Jehovah's Witnesses, which she said changed her life for the better. In the 1960s, Margaret Keane's artwork was sold under the name of her husband, Walter Keane. He locked her in a room and forced her to paint,while taking credit for her work. Conflict over that issue was cited as one of the reasons they divorced. Neither wanting to relinquish rights to the artwork, Walter and Margaret's divorce proceedings went all the way to federal court. At the hearing, Margaret created a painting in front of the judge to prove that she was the artist. Walter declined to paint before the court, citing a sore shoulder. In 1986, the courts sided with her, enabling her to paint under her own name. Her works while living in her husband's shadow tended to depict sad children in a dark setting, but after divorcing, moving to Hawaii, and becoming one of Jehovah's Witnesses, her paintings took on a happier, brighter style. Keane is a fixture in popular culture. Some of her well-known fans over the years have included actresses Joan Crawford and Natalie Wood, whom she painted portraits of; filmmaker Tim Burton, who commissioned Keane to paint Lisa Marie; and animator Craig McCracken, whose characters the Powerpuff Girls are based on Keane's 'waifs'; additionally the Girls' schoolteacher is named "Ms. Keane". 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 shrieks, before the picture in question was shown to the camera and audience as the punch line. • 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. • Weird Al Yankovic's song Velvet Elvis, in which the narrator says he needs "no pictures of Mexican kids with those really big eyes or dogs playing poker...

Category

Late 20th Century American Realist Margaret Keane Art

Materials

Lithograph

Margaret Keane art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Margaret Keane art available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Margaret Keane in lithograph, oil paint, paint and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 20th century and is mostly associated with the modern style. Not every interior allows for large Margaret Keane art, so small editions measuring 16 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Victor Delfin, Frank Mason, and Jacques Hnizdovsky. Margaret Keane art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $950 and tops out at $34,000, while the average work can sell for $1,200.

Artists Similar to Margaret Keane