The actors depict real-life painter couple who got famous in the '50s for the creation of big-eyed portraits.
- Sep 19, 2014
AceShowbiz - "So who is the artist?" is the big question in the trailer of "Big Eyes". Directed by Tim Burton, "Big Eyes" is a comedic drama that's based on the true story of painter Margaret Keane and her husband Walter, who took credit for his wife's work.
Christoph Waltz takes the role of Walter, who was one of the most successful painters of the 1950s and early 1960s. The artist earned staggering notoriety by revolutionizing the commercialization and accessibility of popular art with his enigmatic paintings of waifs with big eyes. The truth would eventually be discovered though: Keane's art was actually not created by him at all, but by his wife, Margaret (Amy Adams).
The Keanes, it seemed, had been living a lie that had grown to gigantic proportions. The film centers on Margaret's awakening as an artist, the phenomenal success of her paintings, and her tumultuous relationship with her husband, who was catapulted to international fame while taking credit for her work.
Speaking of his character, Waltz said, "I admire Walter Keane for his marketing. For being able to sustain that scam for so long and how he managed to climb the ladder from literally the bottom. I am not completely against him at all. She was part of it. She knew, that changes everything."
The couple ended up in a bitter court battle with Margaret challenging Walter for a paint-off in front the judge. He refused, citing sore shoulder. They were divorced in 1965 but the court did not side with Margaret in regards to the paintings until 1986.
Also starring Krysten Ritter and Jason Schwartzman, "Big Eyes" opens on Christmas Day.
