“In the 1960s, Walter Keane was feted for his sentimental portraits that sold by the million. But in fact, his wife Margaret was the artist, working in virtual slavery to maintain his success. She tells her story, now the subject of a Tim Burton biopic.” Read more here.
The Keane fraud was made public in 1970 when Margaret Keane claimed that she was the artist behind the “wide-eyed waifs” and brought a slander suit against her husband when he accused her of taking credit for his work because she thought he was dead. After painting for the jury and presenting them with examples of her work from her childhood, she was awarded $4 million for emotional distress and a damaged reputation. Margaret is now 87 years old.
