Margaret Keane More 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)

Artist: Margaret Keane

Margaret KeaneModernist Portrait of a Woman

$12,800

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 More Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Helen Stein"Modernist Nude" Mid Century Bold Colorful Abstract Nude Painting Oil on Canvas, Mid-20th Century

$6,000

H 52.5 in W 40.5 in D 1.5 in

"Modernist Nude" Mid Century Bold Colorful Abstract Nude Painting Oil on Canvas

Located in New York, NY

A strong modernist oil painting depicted in the 1950s by Russian, American painter Helen Stein. Mostly known for her abstract figures on canvas, this piece...

Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Margaret Keane More Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Yo Savy Sermayer YoMayerNuns And Doves, The Family, Avant-garde Woman Artist Marcel Duchamp's daughter, 1939

$2,440

H 27.96 in W 31.5 in D 0.79 in

Nuns And Doves, The Family, Avant-garde Woman Artist Marcel Duchamp's daughter

Located in Norwich, GB

In 1910, having separated from her first husband, the artist model Jeanne Chastagnier Serré had a relationship with the surrealist Marcel Duchamp: you know, the one of the porcelain ...

Category

1930s Modern Margaret Keane More Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Fiberboard

Edgar StoëbelNude Woman - Oil Paint attr. Edgar Stoebel - Mid-20th Century, Mid-20th Century

$924

H 31.89 in W 21.26 in D 0.99 in

Nude Woman - Oil Paint attr. Edgar Stoebel - Mid-20th Century

By Edgar Stoëbel

Located in Roma, IT

Nude woman is an artwork attribuited to Edgar Stoebel (1909-2001). 81 x 45 cm; no frame. Oil painting on canvas. Good conditions.

Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Margaret Keane More Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

William Lester Stevens"Winter Landscape" William Lester Stevens, Cape Ann Snowy Landscape

$29,000

H 40 in W 43 in

"Winter Landscape" William Lester Stevens, Cape Ann Snowy Landscape

By William Lester Stevens

Located in New York, NY

William Lester Stevens Winter Landscape Signed lower right Oil on canvas 32 x 36 inches Born on June 15, 1888, in Rockport, Massachusetts, Stevens displayed his artistic abilities ...

Category

1920s Modern Margaret Keane More Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Walter Burt AdamsA Large 1930s Modern Painting of Jackson Square, New Orleans, St. Lous Cathedral, circa 1938

$3,200

H 36.5 in W 30.5 in D 1.75 in

A Large 1930s Modern Painting of Jackson Square, New Orleans, St. Lous Cathedral

By Walter Burt Adams

Located in Chicago, IL

A Large, Striking 1930s Modern Painting of the Historic St. Louis Cathedral in Jackson Square, New Orleans by Notable Chicago Artist, Walter Burt Adams (Am. 1903-1990). A painterly view of the historic landmark and park located in the heart of the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana. Completed circa 1938 during one of the artist's painting trips to New Orleans, and most likely painted in the quiet hours after dawn before any pedestrians or sight-seers walk the typically bustling city square. Artwork size: 36 x 30 inches, oil on canvas (framed size: 36 1/2 x 30 1/2 inches). Unsigned. Provenance: Estate of the artist. Walter Burt Adams was a dedicated painter of the American Scene and a singular personality among his peers in the Chicago Modern Art community. His no-nonsense manner, devotion to his craft and sardonic sense of humor characterize a man whose paintings capture life in and around Chicago between the early 1920s and the late 1970s. Born in Kenosha, Wisconsin just after the turn of the last century, Walter Burt Adams spent his childhood in Fargo, North Dakota and began his artistic education there through a correspondence cartooning class as a boy. After finishing high school in Fargo, Adams moved to Chicago in 1922 in order to enroll at the school of the Art Institute of Chicago. Adams’ instruction at the school with artists such as George Oberteuffer, Frederick V. Poole, Charles Wilimovsky...

Category

1930s American Modern Margaret Keane More Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Charles TurzakA Large Mid-Century Modern, Cubist Tribal Motif Painting, "Artifact Contour", circa 1960

$2,700

H 36 in W 27 in D 1.5 in

A Large Mid-Century Modern, Cubist Tribal Motif Painting, "Artifact Contour"

By Charles Turzak

Located in Chicago, IL

A Large, Colorful, Mid-Century Modern Art Deco Painting, "Artifact Contour" by Famed Chicago Painter and Print Maker, Charles Turzak (Am. 1899 - 1986). Titled "Artifact Contour", t...

Category

20th Century American Modern Margaret Keane More Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Pair of Landscapes with Views of Ancient Rome - Oil on Canvas - Mid 19th century, 19th century

$5,562

H 15.75 in W 20.28 in D 0.79 in

Pair of Landscapes with Views of Ancient Rome - Oil on Canvas - Mid 19th century

Located in Roma, IT

Landscapes with Views of Ancient Rome is an original pair of oil on canvas realized in the Second Half 19th Century. Mixed colored oil on canvas, mounted on panel. Minor damage to ...

Category

Mid-19th Century Modern Margaret Keane More Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Edgar StoëbelThe Couple - Oil Paint attr. Edgar Stoebel - Mid-20th Century, Mid-20th Century

$984

H 31.89 in W 21.26 in D 0.04 in

The Couple - Oil Paint attr. Edgar Stoebel - Mid-20th Century

By Edgar Stoëbel

Located in Roma, IT

The couple is an artwork attribuited to Edgar Stoebel (1909-2001). 81 x 54 cm; no frame. Oil painting on canvas. Good conditions!

Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Margaret Keane More Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Camillo de VitoView of the Gulf of Naples from Capodimonte - Oil Painting - 19th Century, 19th Century

$3,244

H 27.56 in W 39.38 in D 0.32 in

View of the Gulf of Naples from Capodimonte - Oil Painting - 19th Century

By Camillo de Vito

Located in Roma, IT

View of the Gulf of Naples from Capodimonte is an oil on canvas realized by a follower of Camillo De Vito. Not signed. The Gulf of Naples, including a ...

Category

19th Century Modern Margaret Keane More Art

Materials

Paint, Oil, Canvas

Georgina Klitgaard"New Hampshire Winter" Georgina Klitgaard, Female WPA, Northeastern Landscape, Early 20th Century

$4,500

H 38 in W 28 in

"New Hampshire Winter" Georgina Klitgaard, Female WPA, Northeastern Landscape

By Georgina Klitgaard

Located in New York, NY

Georgina Klitgaard New Hampshire Winter Signed lower right Oil on canvas 38 x 28 inches Georgina Klitgaard’s art has sometimes gotten lost in the critical propensity to assign arti...

Category

Early 20th Century American Modern Margaret Keane More Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Still Life - Oil on Canvas - Late 19th century, Late 19th century

$520

H 7.09 in W 5.12 in D 0.79 in

Still Life - Oil on Canvas - Late 19th century

Located in Roma, IT

Still Life is an artwork realized by an unknown artist in the late 19th Century. Oil on Canvas Mounted on Board. 18 x 13 cm. Good conditions

Category

Late 19th Century Modern Margaret Keane More Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Board

Jean LereuVieille France -Painting by Jean Lereu - 19th Century, 19th Century

$1,854

H 19.49 in W 27.17 in D 1.58 in

Vieille France -Painting by Jean Lereu - 19th Century

Located in Roma, IT

Vieielle France is an original oil painting on canvas realized by Jean Lereu, in the late 19th century. Hand-signed in red, in the lower left margin. 49.5x69 cm with frame. Good...

Category

19th Century Modern Margaret Keane More Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Margaret Keane more art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Margaret Keane more art available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Margaret Keane in canvas, fabric, oil 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 more art, so small editions measuring 28 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Lalu Prasad Shaw, Jogen Chowdhury , and Prokash Karmakar. Margaret Keane more art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $12,800 and tops out at $12,800, while the average work can sell for $12,800.