Today's I Remember JFK is the result of an anonymous idea from one of our readers. Please keep them coming!
One of the familiar sights that we Boomer kids grew up was an image of a sad-eyed child. The child might be accompanied by an equally sad-eyed kitten or puppy.
The paintings had a haunting quality to them. They were simple, almost primitive, but great detail was given those huge, sad eyes.
The paintings were hated by some, loved by many more, and eventually became the largest selling artwork of the 1960's. That meant that we grew up with them all over the place. Art prints, of course, but also greeting cards, magazine covers, advertisements, and probably even lunch boxes, though I'm only speculating on that last one.
The artist, Margaret Keane, was born in 1927. She describes herself as a sickly, withdrawn child who took comfort in drawing. Eventually, she met and married another artist, Walter Keane, and they ended up in Paris after WWII was over to study the subject.
A sight they frequently encountered was that of homeless, destitute children, orphaned by the war.
The sad sight made an impression on Keane, and she began producing paintings of similar sad children. She made the eyes huge, expressive, and often with a single tear.
The art world pooh-poohed them as crass, obvious, and in bad taste. However, the public was intrigued. The paintings began appearing on walls in U.S. art galleries and homes in the 50's.
Early in the game, Keane made a decision she would later regret. She allowed her husband full control over the management of the business end of things, and even allowed him to take credit for the works.
She would sign a simple "Keane" on each work, making things easy for all concerned.
During the 60's, her husband succeeded in making her artwork a familiar sight. It was hugely popular, much loved (and reviled. Margaret Keane herself said "you either hate it or love it."), and very lucrative. In 1965, the couple decided to get divorced. That's when things got ugly.
Margaret wanted control over her art, of course. But Walter claimed that he had painted the sad-eyed children himself. The heavily-publicized lawsuit that followed ended up in Federal Court. It came down to a paint-off before a judge.
Margaret painted a sad-eyed child on command. Walter had a sore shoulder, and declined to try (insert eye roll here). The case was decided in Margaret's favor.
Back in control of her works, she continued to prolifically crank out the now-more-popular-than-ever paintings. Joan Crawford and Jerry Lewis even commissioned her to paint them in sad-eyed format. But Walter Keane continued to claim that he created all of those pre-divorce paintings. At this point, I'll let Margaret speak for herself:
One turning point came in 1970 when a newspaper reporter arranged a televised paint-out between me and my former husband, to be held in San Francisco's Union Square to establish the authorship of the paintings. I was the only one to show up and accept the challenge. Life magazine covered this event in an article that corrected a previous erroneous story that attributed the paintings to my former husband.
That pretty well shut Walter up.
Margaret Keane is still around, but no longer producing sad-eyed paintings. The reason is a happy one. She became a Jehovah's Witness in 1972, and it had a positive effect on her depression. She still produces paintings, but the sad eyes are now happy.
So here's to those kitschy sad-eyed kids we saw everywhere in the 60's and 70's. Love 'em or hate 'em, you have to admit that they were a memorable part of the world that we grew up in.
Comments (8)
I remember those. We had one in one room. Anime also came about due to Astro Boy and became the standard for Japanimation.
Posted by Scott Irv | June 15, 2009 1:00 AM
Posted on June 15, 2009 01:00
Great one!
I remember these well, my mom even had a music box with a figurine on it based on a Keane child.
She still has it, I think..
Posted by Lee | June 15, 2009 1:51 AM
Posted on June 15, 2009 01:51
Thank you for this post! Back in the late 60's, I had jigsaw puzzles of the sad-eyed kids dressed in mod clothes and I have been trying like crazy nuts to find them again online. Still no success, but at least I have an artist to start with and confirmation that the style even existed!
I remember putting the puzzles together listening to my Monkees albums and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. I guess it was more than 20 years ago today . . . .
Thanks for the site - and bringing back the memories!
Posted by Cathy | June 16, 2009 7:23 AM
Posted on June 16, 2009 07:23
My uncle had a painting of these children in his living room over the couch and he was crazy about it. He loved the eyes of the children.
Posted by Robert Distefano | June 19, 2009 4:29 PM
Posted on June 19, 2009 16:29
I recently was re introduced to the sad eye, or what some call big eye kids, puppies and kittens. I had them as a child in the 60s & 70s and had started seeing them in thrift shops and yard sales and now have a nice little collection hanging around the house. To Cathy the poster above: Lee and Eve are the artists who made the Mod Kids with Go Go boots and guitars. You can find them on ebay. Those are my favorites! Hope that helps you on your quest!
Posted by Rhonda | June 22, 2009 3:59 PM
Posted on June 22, 2009 15:59
I remember these!
And thanks for giving us the backstory, too!
Boy, was Walter a stubborn fool. You mentioned he was an artist as well, but what did he paint? Apparently he was not the success of the duo!
Pride tastes awfully good with a little cinnamon and linseed oil sprinkled over it.
Posted by NCeddie | July 6, 2009 7:10 AM
Posted on July 6, 2009 07:10
...interesting story! I never knew the story behind those paintings.
When my grandmother passed away she left me her ring in a ring box that had one of the sad eyed children decoupaged on the top. I still have it...
I enjoy your blog!
Posted by Mary | August 6, 2009 8:48 AM
Posted on August 6, 2009 08:48
I remember my parents buying several big eyed pics from a french guy who was going shop to shop on Beverly Bvld. I still have one but it seems like newspaper was added as part of the painting. I thought the name was something like etienne? Does anyone know these?
great site thanks.
maggieb@hughes.net
Posted by Maggie | October 7, 2009 2:22 AM
Posted on October 7, 2009 02:22