Website. He was really nuts, Margaret says. Margaret won the court case, of course. Posters were selling. This scene was recreated for the biopic Big Eyes starring Amy Adams. Their daughter Chantal was born in 1970, followed by the birth of their son Sascha in 1973. Walter declined to paint before the court, citing a sore shoulder, whereas Margaret completed her painting in 53 minutes. Jehovah looks after me every day, she says. [2] The paintings are now accepted as having been painted by his wife, Margaret Keane. Walter Keane always said he was inspired to create his extraordinary paintings by the haunting children he saw in the streets of post-war Berlin while he was studying art. Margaret Keane, Bedtime, lithograph on paper, originally printed in 1964, Keane Eyes Gallery. "Not until he died did I really feel that I wasn't going to be knocked off," says Margaret. Andy Warhol said "I think what Keane has done is just terrific. Margaret Keane was born on September 15, 1927, in Nashville Tennessee. I started painting children like this in Some people couldnt stand to even look at them. Margaret Keane, who has died aged 94, was one of the world's most popular artists. Sometimes the person is convinced that some impostor is taking credit for their genius.. According to his biographers, Adam Parfrey and Cletus Nelson, he was a drinker and a lover of women and of himself. Margaret painted hers in 53 minutes. It snowballed overnight. Would you like some macadamia nuts? she asks. [33], Keane's paintings are recognized by the oversized, doe-like eyes of her subjects. When people said it was just sentimental stuff it really hurt my feelings. She may not like the movie, but she must be thrilled about her choice of URL. [32] Keane's big eyes paintings have influenced toy designs, Little Miss No Name and Susie Sad Eyes dolls, and the cartoon The Powerpuff Girls. I can only imagine Margarets false claims stem from a similar bitter heartbreak, financial distress, or both. KEANE, Susan Waldron 1968 - 2021 It is with great sorrow we announce the passing of Susan Waldron Keane of Malden, MA (formerly of Cloughanover, Headford, Co. Galway) on Wednesday, September 29, 2021. At that time, Mrs Ulbrich, a former New York baby furniture factory worker, made her living painting names on neckties, in cooperation with her husband Frank, supplemented by quick realistic portrait sketches of passers by at street fairs. or Best Offer. She hands me Jehovahs Witness pamphlets too. "[3] In light of the great gulf between her work's popularity and its critical lampooning, she was sometimes referred to as the "Wayne Newton of the art world. He was just oozing with charm. Walter Keane's Net Worth: $1-5 Million. It's been worth it, even if I don't see any of that four million dollars. But after shed delivered maybe 20 or 30 big eyes to him, she suddenly thought: No more lies. A Tim Burton biopic, Big Eyes, is about to be released, starring Amy Adams and Christoph Waltz. When Their artist/assistant relationship was never a secret during the years they worked together, their early collaborative works signed Margaret and Walter KEANE and MW KEANE, with independent works signed W KEANE and KEANE, M Keane and MDH Keane. February 10, 2022. Walter continued to claim he was the artist behind the works up until his death in 2000. "Children do have big eyes. She represents the new, '60s woman and she's not afraid to speak her mind." Keane focused on the eyes, as they show the inner person more. Everything is lovely. Mr and Mrs Keane moved from Mayfield to Rathpeacon, Co Cork in the 1990s. Margaret was awarded $4 million in damages but never collected. Amy Adam plays Margaret Keane in Tim Burtons film Big Eyes. He gave up drinking towards the end, but you get the sense that he missed those days, writing in his memoir that sobriety was his new awakening, away from the drinking world of exciting sexy beautiful women, parties and art buyers. It was unbelievable. Some of her paintings depict scenes and subjects from Hawaii. Tim Burtons Big Eyes tells the story of artist Margaret Keane and her husband Walter, the latter of whom who, so the story goes, took credit for her paintings of saucer-eyed children and became a kitsch art celebrity. The New York Times. Sitting unobtrusively in the corner is 87-year-old Margaret Keane. According to the Big Eyes true story, Margaret says that Walter told her, "If you ever tell anyone, I'm going to have you knocked off" (The Guardian). Portrayed by Terence Stamp in the Big Eyes movie, art critic John Canaday wrote such a scathing review of Margaret's "Tomorrow Forever" painting that the World's Fair decided to take it down. But I let him do everything else, which was even worse probably.. Your perspective and the sadness you portray in the faces of the children make me want to touch them., No, I said. Margarets memory of their first meeting is quite different. Much of Walters work predominantly features rough textured brush strokes and imperfections, often using a palette knife, a conscious and deliberate use of contrasting cool and warm colour scheme, exaggerated perspective that stretches on to infinity, sparse asymmetrical balanced composition with clean silhouettes emphasizing negative space, the background frames the subject and draws the viewers eye using leading lines, use of strong shadow and highlight. experience that was "tearing me apart.". Inside, a family of devout Jehovahs Witnesses bustles around, offering me a cheese plate. But Margaret rarely saw them, because she was painting 16 hours a day. [10][11] She began work painting clothing and baby cribs in the 1950s until she finally began a career painting portraits. She later explained her behavior: "I was afraid of him because he [threatened] to have me done in if I said anything. Walter Stanley Keane (October 7, 1915 December 27, 2000) was an American plagiarist who became famous in the 1960s[1] as the claimed painter of a series of widely reproduced paintings depicting vulnerable subjects with enormous eyes. Margaret then married her third husband, Honolulu sportswriter Dan McGuire, in 1970. [9][34] Keane attributed Amedeo Modigliani's work as a major influence on the way she painted women from 1959 on. He then shoves burning matches through the keyhole of Margaret's studio, which ignite a spilled can of turpentine. People already think I painted the big eyes and if I suddenly say it was you, it'll be confusing and people will start suing us." [16], Margaret said that he began selling her characteristic "big eyes" paintings immediately, but unknown to her, claimed it was his own work. If she did slip out, he would follow her. [8][29][30] In the 1990s, Tim Burton, a Keane art collector who would later direct the 2014 biographical film Big Eyes about the life of Margaret Keane, commissioned the artist to paint a portrait of his then-girlfriend Lisa Marie. When she told her side of the story, Walter Keane retaliated with a USA Today article that again claimed he had done the work. She was 94. Yes, as stated in the movie, Walter Keane had been a real estate salesman, handling properties in Berkeley, California. Margaret says that Walter told her, "We need the money. The verdict was upheld on appeal, and Margaret Keane got credit for the . Its true that he charmed her at that art exhibition in 1955, she says. MARGARET KEANE - WALTER KEANE - Vintage KEANE . Court documents reveal that Walter made threats "to burn the house down and kill her if she tried to leave him. I really feel it. She is the last person youd expect to be a participant in one of the great art frauds of the 20th century. [7][8] Keane painted her first oil painting of two little girls, one crying and one laughing, when she was 10 years old and gave the painting to her grandmother. She began painting her signature "Keane eyes" when she started painting portraits of children. Walter said he couldnt because he had a sore shoulder. Yes, and like in the Big Eyes movie, it was some time later that the real Margaret Keane discovered that Walter wasn't the artist behind the street scenes he had been peddling when they met at the art fair. But I said, Where I come from men dont hit women. She maintained a gallery in San Francisco which boasts "the largest collection of Margaret Keane's art in the entire world. If you ever do that again Ill leave. She pauses. She was the one to guess the person's occupation, and came through with a few witticisms. ARCHIVE VIDEO: Jury orders Walter Keane to pay Margaret Keane $4M over big-eyed paintings. The cause was a heart ailment, said her daughter, Jane Swigert.. Starring Amy Adams, Christoph Waltz, Krysten Ritter, Jason Schwartzman, Copyright 2023 HistoryvsHollywood.com, CTF Media, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, Keane Eyes Gallery - Where Margaret Features Most of Her Work, Margaret Keane Art on Pinterest - Browse Hundreds of Keane Images, Big Eyes Selfie Portrait - Customize a Photo to Give Yourself Big Eyes. [13], Keane first displayed Margaret's paintings as his own work in 1957, at an outdoor art show in Washington Square in Manhattan. It hurts my eyes to see them. I couldnt believe he had so much hate for me., Margaret became a Jehovahs Witness. The children in your paintings are so sad. Though Margaret doesn't deny Walter was unfaithful, she has not explicitly supported some of the more boastful claims in his memoir. My heartbreak over this abrupt transition led to our estrangement, which lasted the majority of his remaining years. As in the movie, not even her daughter or their staff were allowed in. Instead, he countered her invitation by saying she was a "boozing, sex-starved psychopath." Keane died Sunday of heart failure at her home in Napa, California, her daughter, Jane Swigert, told The New York Times. A few days before the new year, I was greatly saddened to learn about the passing of retired Port Authority Police Department Sergeant Susan Martha Keane. [2] The paintings are now accepted as having been painted by his wife, Margaret Keane. I was in jail., She shrugged. In describing what inspired him to paint big-eyed children, American Walter Keane talked of his supposed time in Europe following WWII, starting in Berlin in 1946. By the 1970s, the big eyes had fallen from favour. "Sometimes I'd be going to bed and there'd be three girls in the bed." [1] Keane started drawing as a child, and at age 10 she took classes at the Watkins Institute in Nashville. According to Wikipedia, Forbes, IMDb & Various Online resources, famous Artist Walter Keane's net worth is $1-5 Million before died. But now, she says, she thinks she understands: Those sad children were really my own deep feelings that I couldnt express in any other way. Margaret won the case. her inspiration for the big-eyed waifs, Walter Payton passed away on November 1, 1999, at the age of 45. "Everybody was screwing everybody," he wrote. She mainly painted women, children, or animals in oil or mixed media. The film stars Amy Adams and Christoph Waltz and premieres on Christmas Day. The paintings, particularly the ones with children, became known for their distinctively big eyes. READ ALSO: When is Kuli Roberts funeral? American painter and her husband, who The Big Eyes true story confirms that the real Walter Keane sold his wife Margaret's paintings at his favorite 1950s San Francisco beatnik club, The Hungry i. Margaret used very soft sable brushes, along with a sable fan brush to blend her colours. Walter felt deeply proud of the achievement. Facebook; Twitter; Facebook Messenger; Pinterest; Email; print; They called him Sweetness, but Chicago Bears great Walter Payton had a dark side, according to a biography to be released Oct. 4 . Keane admits she was complicit in the charade, but has said she struggled greatly with allowing Walter to claim her art as his own. "[21], A large painting commissioned for the 1964-65 World's Fair had a procession of doe-eyed waifs from the horizon to the foreground, where they lined up on a staircase. The paintings were in fact painted by his wife Margaret Keane. "Walter actually did that in the trial," says Big Eyes screenwriter Larry Karaszewski. Her ex, who represented himself in the case, said he had a sore shoulder and could not paint. He could charm anyone. But the rest of the conversation didnt happen. Though uncelebrated, Walter had a diverse body of work that expanded well beyond the confines of his waif theme. [31] Keane's art was bought and presented to the United Nations Children's Fund in 1961 by the Prescolite Manufacturing Corporation. And all along he said: If you ever tell anyone Im going to have you knocked off. I knew he knew a lot of mafia people. However, it is not known whether Walter and Banducci sued each other intentionally for publicity, as the movie implies. Yes. While we were fighting this out at home, the paintings were just flying off the walls. It depicted a hundred sad-looking, big-eyed children of all creeds standing in a line that stretches to the horizon. But in fact, his wife Margaret was the artist, working in virtual slavery to maintain his success. Walter might well have seen sad children in postwar Berlin, but he hadnt painted them, because he couldnt paint to save his life. To further expand your knowledge of the Big Eyes true story, watch the Walter Keane interview below. She tells her story, now the subject of a Tim Burton biopic, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, Margaret Keane at home in Napa, California. While Walter might have seen downtrodden, unhappy children in postwar Europe, he completely lacked the skill to paint them. This interview is the only known -TIME.com, Yes. It has to be good. They were dressed as harlequins and ballerinas. Did the servants know what was going on?, No, the door was always locked, she says. When I'm doing a portrait, the eyes are the most expressive part of the face. At the trial, the judge famously ordered both Margaret and Walter to each create a big-eyed painting in the courtroom, to determine who was telling the truth. The artwork was originally attributed to Keane's ex-husband, Walter Keane. (The Weinstein . She worked in both acrylic and oil-based paints, with the subject of her artwork limited to women, children, and familiar animals (cats, dogs, horses). Part of her life is depicted in the 2014 film 'Big Eyes.' Im just going to paint what I want to paint., If youd asked Margaret back then about her inspiration which you never would have, of course she would have shrugged and said she didnt know. And in 1970 she told a reporter that her former husband had painted none of the big-eyed paintings. She moved to Hawaii and started painting big-eyed children swimming in azure seas with tropical fish. In researching the true story behind the Big Eyes movie, we discovered that the popularity of the big-eye paintings soared when the Keanes started to mass produce the images for sale as posters, on postcards, china plates, refrigerator magnets, etc., making the art affordable to the masses. "[18], In 1957 Walter began exhibiting the "big eyes" paintings as his own. [1] In 1955, she married Walter Keane. Get the best deals on Margaret Keane when you shop the largest online selection at eBay.com. Yes. But we moved to a nice house. his biographers, Adam Parfrey and Cletus Nelson. She wanted to leave him then but didn't know how she would support her daughter. Come down to learn more about Margaret Keane net worth, husband/wife, daughter, death, and other details: up two easels, side by side, and asks each Keane's husband, Walter, fraudulently claimed credit for her work for years. The paintings just flowed out of her. She was 94. You couldnt walk into a Woolworths without seeing racks of them. Here my life as a painter began in earnest.. At least, thats the version we get in the movie, which may be somewhat affected by the fact that Margaret is still alive to tell her story, whereas Walter died in 2000. She mainly painted women, children, or animals in oil or mixed media. I didnt care what he did by then., Yes, because he wouldnt allow me to have any friends. The next year, 1965, Walter and Margaret divorced. She rationalized the situation on the ground that "[a]t least they were being shown. So eventually I thought: I dont care. Back home he tried to explain it away, she says. Estimated Net Worth in 2020. "When I'm doing a portrait, the eyes are the most expressive part of the face. I could do it if you had more patience. I was really trying, but it was just impossible., Margaret felt trapped. "[4], Hollywood actors Joan Crawford, Natalie Wood, and Jerry Lewis commissioned Keane to paint their portraits. This Margaret Keane interview features the A Siamese cat weaves in and out of my legs. After a three-week trial, the jury awarded her $4 million in damages. And when he couldnt do it, it was my fault. Its from his 1983 memoir, The World of Keane: I love your paintings, she told me. "I envisioned myself. -The Guardian, Yes. A judge threatened to put duct tape over his mouth" (Big Eyes Featurette). She described her subjects thus: "These are the paintings of children in paradise. -The Guardian, Big Eyes director Tim Burton has collected Margaret Keane's artwork for years. His past surgeries caused some serious infections. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the project centers on the life of Mrs. Keane and her wildly ambitious husband, Walter. Walter told police authorities that the last time he spoke with his son was on February 9. Like in the Big Eyes movie, Margaret became a Jehovah's Witness in the late 1960s after leaving her husband Walter and moving to Hawaii to start fresh. John Keane died at age 15 years old in 1953 in Hamilton. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember John Keane. Over time, she adopted his big eye motif, gradually incorporating it into her own Modigliani-style work. Do one with a clown costume. Or: Do two children on a rocking horse. One day he had this idea that Id do this huge painting, his masterwork, to hang in the United Nations or somewhere. Though, I have no doubt my fathers philandering was a high price for her to pay for fame and affluence. It has been critically acclaimed but also criticized as formulaic and clich. Why is there so much sadness? Her daughter Jane Swigert told the New York Times the cause was heart. Margaret promised Walter that shed keep on secretly painting for him. In 1929, she had an incident that changed her life forever. Their marriage ended in divorce in 1952. Margaret Keane Was Relieved After Walter's Death. I want my paintings to clobber you in the heart and make you yell, 'DO SOMETHING!'". "Big Eyes" screenwriters Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski hope the film causes the art establishment to re-evaluate Keane's work. The work achieved commercial success through inexpensive reproductions on prints . A skilled illustrator, Margaret was able to trace a portrait in 15 minutes. Nevertheless, Walter was quite a salesman. Copyright 2022 Hawaii News Now. From a distance, you look like a painter, but up close, there's not much there. Adams won a Golden Globe Award for her performance.[20][21]. Keane was born in Lincoln, Nebraska, on October 7, 1915, one of 10 children from his father's second marriage. Artist Margaret Keane, famous for her "Big Eyes" paintings, died at the age of 94 due to heart failure, according to the New York Times. Then check out a Margaret Keane interview in which she discusses Walter's death threats and her own remorse for going along with the lie. Banducci's punch missed Walter and struck a woman, Nadine Ulrich, in the collarbone. Navigation Categories Categories: Liars Fictionalized Movie Villains Live Action Villains As Deadline reported, the veteran character actor, whose television career spanned decades, was in California when he died on April 6, 2021. "Back then, women kind of went along with their husbands, didn't rock the boat," Margaret says. Walter Keane claimed to paint the Big Eyes until his death Ruling: Fact Walter (played by Christoph Waltz in the movie) claimed he was inspired by the starving, orphaned children he saw in. This conversation apparently took place at an outdoor art exhibition in San Francisco in 1955. "The eyes I draw on my children are an expression of my own deepest feelings. The Keanes continued to dispute the paintings' origin, and after Walter suggested that Margaret claimed she was the painter only because she believed he was dead, she sued him in federal court for slander. In fact the walls of Margarets home are filled with big-eye paintings children, poodles, kittens. Gated. Walter Keane made his name with wistful paintings of big-eyed children paintings actually done by his wife. he adamantly denied Margaret's claims until his death. Former Vice President Walter Mondale died Monday at age 93, his family confirmed in a statement. Walter married his third wife, Joan Mervin, after divorcing Margaret in 1965. Here my life as a painter began in earnest." Her original maiden name was Peggy Doris Hawkins. Walter adamantly denied his ex-wife's claims until his death at 85 on December 27, 2000. Margaret Keane, big eyes artist whose husband claimed works were his own, dies at 94, (Evan Agostini | Evan Agostini/Invision/AP). Sometimes Id be going to bed and thered be three girls in the bed. The Beach Boys would visit, and Maurice Chevalier, and Howard Keel. Margaret was furious. -SFGate, When Margaret Keane discovered Walter was taking credit for her paintings that he was selling at The Hungry i beatnik club, they were two years into their marriage and had been happy until that point. First and foremost, he was an ideas man. This story begins in Berlin in 1946. Margaret Keane was born as Peggy Doris Hawkins on 15th September 1927 in Nashville, Tennessee. But now, suddenly, there is a kind of renaissance. date of birth 7 October 1915 Gregorian 1 reference place of birth Lincoln 1 reference date of death 27 December 2000 2 references place of death Encinitas 1 reference spouse Margaret Keane start time 1955 end time 1965 1 reference occupation plagiarism 0 references field of work art of painting 1 reference educated at Los Angeles City College Banducci threw a punch at Walter for "using obscenity in the presence of ladies," as The Chronicle worded it. She divorced him and moved to Hawaii. Walter was still an unknown artist. In 1958, Walter Keane got into a fight with Enrico Banducci, the owner of The Hungry i nightclub on Jackson Street in San Francisco. [19] He took nine paintings to New Orleans, which he claimed to have sold during Mardi Gras. . She sent approximately 20 or 30 big eyes to him over the course of five years before she decided to end the lie, making a promise to herself to always tell the truth from then on. In 1986, Margaret sued Walter for $3 million for slander. He was his own lawyer. of them to paint one of the famous So I didnt need to do anything except paint. She smiles, ruefully. He couldnt even learn to paint.. This, for instance, is how he describes his first meeting with Margaret, the woman now sitting opposite me in Napa. April 20, 2021 / 6:51 AM / CBS News. In these Hawaii paintings you can see small, cautious smiles begin to form on the faces of the children. Unknown to the contemporary world, the artistic work of portraying faces with big eyes captured the hearts of many. Yes. Margaret D. H. Keane (born Peggy Doris Hawkins, September 15, 1927 - June 26, 2022) [1] was an American artist known for her paintings of subjects with big eyes. -UPI In November of 1970, Margaret challenged Walter to a paint-off in Union Square in San Francisco, but Walter never showed. They are what I think the world is going to look like when God's will is done. It was released in theaters in December 2014, with Christoph Waltz playing Walter Keane and Amy Adams playing Margaret. She started drawing at a young age. Sitting unobtrusively in the corner is 87-year-old Margaret Keane. December 18, 2014. ", They were married for roughly ten years before divorcing in March of 1965. Why did she go along with it? After the verdict, Margaret Keane said "I really feel that justice has triumphed. Like in the movie, Walter acted as his own attorney and the judge challenged both of them to paint a child with big eyes. Artist Margaret Keane, the painter best remembered for her works of children with large eyes, died Sunday at 94. If I hadnt allowed him to take credit for the paintings, he wouldnt have got as sick as he got.. More importantly however, it is vital to mention that Walter was not a violent man, nor a bully. She hands me Jehovahs Witness pamphlets too. In 1986, Keane called for a dramatic paint-off challenge in a Honolulu court, where she had brought a defamation suit against Walter. Also, I tend to be inherently mistrustful of anyone who tells me the name of the architect of her childhood home and how many languages she speaks apropos of nothing, but thats just me. In the movie, Amy Adams character reasons that she paints the eyes big because the "eyes are the windows to the soul," a sentiment that the real Margaret Keane has echoed herself. The culmination of these issues led to his death at the age of 72. She wanted to leave, but she didnt know how. Yes. Walters work is also structurally and stylistically distinct from Margarets later homages attempting to approximate his art. Keane said she didn't care about the money, and just wanted to establish the fact that she had done the paintings. So finally I went along with it, she says. Nov. 30, 2009 12 AM PT. Some of the children held sad, big-eyed poodles in their arms. But so many people really love them. I really think I was in shock for a couple of days. Margaret Keane : No, I haven't. I always thought that I had, but it's like a mirage. Her daughter Jane moved in, and she and Margaret learned to paint under my fathers tutelage. I also had the opportunity to examine Walters work in great detail while performing an archival restoration of Alone in the late 80s. "I'm a little old lady sitting on a park bench," says Margaret. Asking why. "[21][25][26] A federal appeals court upheld the verdict of defamation in 1990, but overturned the $4 million damage award. It suited me fine. Bile duct cancer can cause symptoms, usually because a major bile duct is blocked. asked why the children are so sad-eyed and -TheSource.com, Yes. In February the work was shown on a wall of the Bank of America in Sausalito. Yes. Theres a sweet, small suburban house in the vineyards of Napa, northern California. You are also the most handsome. The claim, vehemently denied by a very much alive Keane, is in litigation.. This projection method has frequently been utilised in art forgery, as it facilitates replication of fine brush strokes. Margaret then produced a painting for the jurors in 53 minutes. She. PRINT. Artist Margaret Keane, known for her distinctive paintings of wide-eyed figures, has died aged 94. People are more likely to buy a painting if they think they're talking to the artist. Their first two years were happy, but all that changed the night of the Hungry i. For years, she painted portraits of big-eyed children for which her husband took the credit. [9], At age 18 she attended the Traphagen School Of Design in New York City for a year. Margaret thinks. the show. Walter encouraged Margaret to develop a style beyond realism, educating and immersing her in the works of old masters for inspiration. Woody Allen mocked them in Sleeper, imagining a ridiculous future where they were revered. When they returned to their home in Berkeley, they began an educational toy business, "Susie Keane's Puppeteens", teaching children French through the use of handmade puppets, phonograph records and a book. Walters life wasnt so happy. We had a chihuahua and because I loved that little dog so much, he kicked it, and so finally I had to give the dog away. In 1969 Walter married Joan. In doing so, he made millions of dollars over the years. Later that night, his memoir continues, Margaret told him: You are the greatest lover in the world. They married. In order to appease Margaret and make up for his lie, the real Walter Keane asked her to teach him how to paint the big-eyed children. Waltz as Margaret and Walter Keane, an He moved to a fishermans shack in La Jolla, California, and began to drink from morning until night. [8][24] In 1986, she sued both Walter and USA Today in federal court for an article claiming Walter was the real artist. [1][5] When she was two, her eardrum was permanently damaged during a mastoid operation. At the time of her death, she was blissfully married to Daniel Francis McGuire. [27], The artworks Margaret Keane created while living in the shadow of her husband tended to depict sad-looking children in dark settings. A very large opaque projector was purchased for Margaret, set up in a dark room adjoined to the sunny painting studio. The puppets were sold in high-end stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue.[9][10]. If anything, he was the most joyful and gentle person Ive known. If anything, she said, Burton and Waltz toned him down. Walter Keane : Yeah, you're living in . Walter Keane was an American artist who became famous in the 1950s and 1960s for painting a series of widely-reproduced images depicting vulnerable children with enormous eyes.