Margaret Keane Paintings
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)
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Artist: Margaret Keane
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 Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
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Margaret Keane paintings for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a wide variety of authentic Margaret Keane paintings available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Margaret Keane in oil paint, paint, canvas 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 paintings, so small editions measuring 16 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Edmund Quincy, Pruett Alexander Carter, and Thomas Darsney. Margaret Keane paintings prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $8,500 and tops out at $34,000, while the average work can sell for $12,800.