# Margaret Keane

> American artist (1927–2022)

**Wikidata**: [Q5402192](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5402192)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Keane)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/margaret-keane

## Summary

Margaret Keane was an American artist and painter born on September 15, 1927, who became widely known for her distinctive portraiture, particularly of children and women with large, expressive eyes. She was educated at the Traphagen School of Fashion in New York City and operated primarily in the United States throughout her career. She passed away on June 26, 2022. Her work gained significant public recognition, and she maintained an online presence through her website keane-eyes.com.

## Biography

- **Born:** September 15, 1927
- **Died:** June 26, 2022
- **Nationality:** American (United States)
- **Education:** Traphagen School of Fashion (New York City, United States)
- **Known for:** Portrait painting characterized by subjects with large, emotive eyes
- **Employer(s):** Self-employed artist (primary occupation)
- **Field(s):** Painting, Art

## Contributions

Margaret Keane's primary contribution was her body of portrait paintings, which featured a distinctive style characterized by subjects—particularly children and women—depicted with notably large, expressive eyes. Her artistic work spanned the latter half of the 20th century and continued into the 21st century. As a professional painter, she operated her own practice and maintained a dedicated website (keane-eyes.com) to showcase and distribute her work. Her education at the Traphagen School of Fashion provided her with formal training in artistic techniques that she applied throughout her career as a portrait artist.

## FAQs

**What was Margaret Keane's artistic style?**
Margaret Keane was known for her portrait painting style featuring subjects with large, expressive eyes, particularly depicting children and women in her works.

**Where did Margaret Keane receive her artistic education?**
Margaret Keane was educated at the Traphagen School of Fashion in New York City, an institution founded in 1923 by Ethel Traphagen and operating as a university-level school of fashion, design, and art until its closure in 1991.

**What was Margaret Keane's legal name?**
Margaret Keane's full legal name was Margaret Peggy Doris Hawkins Keane, with her birth name recorded as Peggy Doris Hawkins. She also used the aliases Margaret D. H. Keane, M. D. H. Keane, and simply Margaret Keane professionally.

**How long was Margaret Keane active as an artist?**
Margaret Keane was born in 1927 and maintained her artistic practice through much of her life, passing away in 2022, indicating a career spanning several decades.

**Where could Margaret Keane's work be viewed?**
Margaret Keane maintained an online presence through her website at keane-eyes.com, where her paintings were available for viewing and purchase.

## Why They Matter

Margaret Keane mattered as an American artist who developed a recognizable and distinctive portrait style that resonated with the public. Her focus on capturing emotion through the depiction of large eyes in her subjects created a body of work that became identifiable to collectors and admirers. As a female artist who established and maintained her own professional practice, she contributed to the broader landscape of American art, particularly in the realm of portraiture. Her education at the Traphagen School of Fashion connected her to a lineage of American fashion and art education that helped professionalize artistic training in the United States during the mid-20th century. The continuation of her work through her website into the digital age demonstrated her adaptability and ongoing relevance in the contemporary art marketplace.

## Notable For

- Distinctive portrait painting style featuring large, expressive eyes
- Long career spanning from the mid-20th century through 2022
- Education at the Traphagen School of Fashion, one of the earliest university-level fashion schools in the United States
- Maintaining an active professional presence through her website
- Creating portraits primarily focusing on children and women

## Body

### Early Life and Background

Margaret Keane was born Peggy Doris Hawkins on September 15, 1927. She would later adopt the professional name Margaret Keane, eventually becoming known as Margaret D. H. Keane or Margaret Peggy Doris Hawkins Keane in various records and databases. Her birth into the American artistic and cultural landscape positioned her to contribute to the mid-century American art scene.

### Education

Margaret Keane received her formal artistic education at the Traphagen School of Fashion in New York City. This institution, founded in 1923 by fashion educator Ethel Traphagen, operated as a university-level school specializing in fashion, design, and art. The school was located in Manhattan at coordinates 40.763094 N, -73.982781 W and functioned for nearly seven decades before officially closing in 1991. Keane's education at this institution provided her with structured training in artistic techniques, design principles, and professional practices that would inform her subsequent career as a painter.

### Career and Artistic Practice

Margaret Keane pursued a career as a professional painter and artist, operating primarily within the United States. Her chosen medium was painting, and she specialized in portraiture. Her distinctive artistic approach centered on depicting subjects—particularly children and women—with notably large, expressive eyes that became a hallmark of her work. This stylistic choice created a recognizable visual identity for her paintings.

Throughout her career, Keane maintained her practice as a self-employed artist, allowing her to develop and sustain her distinctive style without the constraints of institutional employment. She established an online presence through her website, keane-eyes.com, which served as a platform for showcasing her artwork and engaging with collectors and admirers.

### Personal Identity and Name

Margaret Keane's full legal name was Margaret Peggy Doris Hawkins Keane, reflecting her birth name of Peggy Doris Hawkins. She utilized several aliases throughout her life and career, including Margaret D. H. Keane and M. D. H. Keane. This variation in naming conventions appears across different databases, library records, and knowledge repositories.

### Professional Recognition and Documentation

Margaret Keane's work and identity are documented across multiple academic and cultural repositories. Her papers and creative output appear in various library and database systems, including the Library of Congress and multiple international cataloging systems. Her Wikidata entry (Q-identifier) and Wikipedia article (titled "Margaret Keane") provide structured biographical information. Her work is associated with the broader categories of American art and portrait painting from the 20 and 21st centuries.

### Later Life and Legacy

Margaret Keane passed away on June 26, 2022, concluding a lifetime of artistic practice that began with her education at the Traphagen School of Fashion and continued through her establishment of a distinctive portrait painting style. Her work represents a specific chapter in American portraiture, characterized by the emotional depth conveyed through her subjects' expressive eyes. The continuation of her online presence through her website into the period near her passing demonstrates her ongoing commitment to connecting with audiences and collectors throughout her career.

## References

1. Directory of Southern Women Artists
2. [Source](https://nypost.com/2022/06/29/margaret-keane-big-eyes-painter-dead-at-94/)
3. RKDartists
4. [Margaret Keane](http://www.biography.com/people/margaret-keane)
5. Union List of Artist Names. 2016
6. Virtual International Authority File
7. [Margaret Keane, Painter of Sad-Eyed Waifs, Dies at 94. The New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/28/arts/margaret-keane-dead.html)
8. Integrated Authority File
9. Margaret D.H. Keane. CLARA
10. Margaret D. H. Keane. Union List of Artist Names
11. SNAC
12. [Source](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/28/arts/margaret-keane-dead.html)
13. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
14. Library of Congress Control Number
15. Quora