These iconic images of melancholy kids have been at the heart of at least two marital disputes. In the mid-80s Margaret Keane took her ex-husband Walter to court, where she successfully proved that she was actually the artist behind the ubiquitous big-eyed kids that had been her ex's claim to fame for preceding decades. Though much friendlier and non-litigious, my husband and I have our own little Keane dispute. He thinks they are depressing and creepy, I think they are adorable and sweet. I want them in our kids' rooms, but until we resolve this issue they have been relegated to storage.
I have always had an appetite for kitsch and a soft spot for Keane kids, buying my first in a New Orleans thrift shop when I was in high school. The one pictured above was purchased at Theatre Antiques in Minneapolis (RIP). When we first moved in together, my husband consented to hanging it in the hall bathroom and then avoided it entirely. Like the little girl in the image, it was cold rejected. A few other Keane kids hung in my office. Then we moved and had some more children and now I don't have an office. As we transition our daughters to their big girl beds we are doing some redecorating, and I think that the Keanes would be a great addition to their digs. Unsurprisingly, this has given rise to some creative differences with their dad.
A quick search here on Apartment Therapy turns up a few Keanes in tours, and a split between Keane lovers and those in the creepy/depressing camp. Where do you stand on Keane images? Would you hang one in your child's room?
(Image: Roni Shapira Ben-Yoseph)
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I'm sure there are others but based on the one above, no. I don't want my son looking at a crying child. It seems eerie.
The title of this particular one is "Rejected" Personally, I wouldn't want that message--literal or figurative-through-imagery--in my kid's room.
No way. This is the stuff of nightmares for little ones. She reminds me of the little girls from The Shining. There so much more uplifting and fun art to display. Maybe save it for your artsy teenager?
If the other prints that you have are like the one above - NOT FOR KIDS! Seriously, that picture is nightmare inducing! I might consider hanging one up in my child's room if it was in a wall gallery montage with other art, but I would never put it as the only piece in the room...
Creepy, creepy, creepy. Which isn't to say I couldn't see a place for it in my home but not a nursery.
How old are the kids? I can see this in a goth teen's room. But, totally depressing for a little kid.
So creepy and so sad, especially in a child's room. Back into storage, maybe permanently...
I have to side with your husband and the other 7 posters here... I can just see my little kids asking over and over: "Why is the little girl crying, Mama?"
Is your child old enough to really know what they like? My kids often surprise me with their observations. My three old asked why she was crying and I said, "I don't know. Why do you think?" His answer, "Isn't she funny? She's crying because she has no lollipops." So to him it's not sad or depressing just a funny picture. I say pull them out and put them in a group of other art you wouldn't mind being in their room and let them pick what they like.
What's adorable and sweet about them?
Another vote for creepy and depressing.
I would ask my kid if she wants it in her room. My 6 yr old would probably have a strong opinion on the subject. I don't normally run design choices by my child but if there's something possibly scary about the art then I'd check with her first. Having said that, I like the art. Kids aren't just happy all of the time - they feel lots of challenging emotions- and I don't think there's anything wrong with the art reflecting that. Plus, my daughter is into dark and creepy topics and toys and this art might be right up her alley.
My grandparents had a similar print in their house when I was growing up. It was indeed nightmare-inducing. I avoided that room entirely. If forced to walk through it I was often terrified and reduced to tears.
I personally LOVE Keane's artwork. I hung a similar doe-eyed painting in my 2 year old daughter's room (a ballerina by Maio) and it's perfect. I think some of Keane's paintings could totally hang in a child's room. Not all though. The series with pets could be appropriate.
In the creepy camp too. Makes me think of that : http://www.forteantimes.com/features/articles/1308/the_curse_of_the_crying_boy.html (I see that painting of the crying boy almost every week at garages sales and flea markets)
everyone is so protective now-a-days. Makes the kids soft!
No. They will spend their whole lives bombarded with negative images, I would make home the warm happy haven in that sea.
Why not ask the kids? I think they are creepy and depressing but I don't know if that precludes them from hanging in a kids room.
Depressing and creepy.
It's just seems so HoJo-ian,maybe clustered w/ some weeping clown portraits or pictures of sailboats...
NO! My mom put a picture of the hobo-clown Emmett Kelly in my room when I was little - nightmare city!!! The day I got free reign to re decorate, he was the first to go!! These TOTALLY remind me of that creepiness! *shutters*
Disturbing. They look like the characters from Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal.
TCHOUQUET that's a great article. I'm entirely superstitious about objects and this has fueled my paranoia.
How old are the kids? I'd ask them. Some kids are prone to be freaked out, some are unflappable.
Really, really, really creepy - I wouldn't hang that in a kids room or anywhere else in my house! There's enough sadness in the world; I prefer surrounding myself with happy or thoughtful art.
It's creepy because it's not sad in an abstract way. A lot of people associate dark colors with depressing feelings but that is more interpretive than this image, which clearly depicts a person crying. I wouldn't want this in my house at all, no matter where it was.
I love Keane kids and pets! I wanted to find some pieces for my daughter's room but my husband (and friends!) reacted like most of the commenters so far- with a strong NO! Maybe she will like them and choose them for her room herself one day!
I'm afraid I'm in the depressing and creepy camp. If you're daughters are over 2, though, I say ask them if they like it or want it in their room. Even little ones will give you some indication of whether they like something or not. It's their room, let them decide ;-)
Adorable? That child looks homeless and abandoned. Terribly terribly depressing!
It's not about being soft - as someone stated. Images could be interesting and challenging but do we want to live with things that make us uncomfortable in our sanctuaries? If so, why? Hells no - I would never hang this in my kids room! If my teen wanted it I wouldn't have a problem with it though.
What's wrong with you? YOU want them in your kids' rooms, but what about you KIDS? Did you think to ask THEM? Sheeesh...
creep city. yuck. i can see the artistic value in it, somewhat. ish. but it's not art for a kid's room. if you want something a little darker, yet still sweet try The Black Apple on etsy. we've got the bandits up in our play room and the dancing bear in our hallway. with none of the creepy dude-pretending-to-be-the-artist baggage.
When I was a child, I wouldn't have wanted that huge eyed little girl portrait peering at me in my dark bedroom at night..just saying.
I'm with your husband -- I've always found these creepy.
As for artistic value these are up there (or should I say down there) with Thomas Kincade stuff. (...and my first instinct was to us a word far less polite that stuff!)
I like Keane art well enough, but I don't think I'd put it in a kid's room either.
creeeeeeeeeeepy.
I dated a guy once whose mom had a lot of "crying kids" art in her house. They lived in London and apparently it was quite a fad in the late 60s.
I found it creepy as...heck. It goes beyond kitschy straight into ugh. Why would anyone want teary eyed children on their walls?
(That said, it explained a lot in hindsight about why that relationship didn't work out so well, ha!)
Creepy. Just because it's a painting of a child doesn't mean that children are the intended audience.
She painted the crying children because she was completely miserable in her own life. That seems like a bad energy for a kids room. If you like her style, why not purchase one of her newer "happy" paintings? I just looked at her site and there are a ton that seem more appropriate for a child's room.
Actually, Ms. Keane changed religions later on in life, and became a much happier person; thus, if you look a little, you can find those same big eyes kids and animals but they are much less depressing and kid friendly. I think it'd be a worthwhile compromise.
sell them
Children of the Corn get thee hence!
I used to draw those Keane kiddies when I was a child. Now when I see them they make my skin crawl.
As a hypnotist, I would never put that kind of image in a small child's living space. It'll go straight into their little unconscious minds. Better to have an image that inspires resourcefulness, not an image of despair to root deep down in their psyches.
Sorry, but creepy. Reminds me of the Simpsons episode where Homer tries to build a clown bed for little Bart but obviously turns looking like a killer klown. In the end Bart was rocking back and forth hugging his knees and saying over and over "can't sleep, clown will eat me"
love it, do it. haters gunna hate.
Maybe if i was related to the Adam's Family. I vote creepy.
Keanes later work is much happier, maybe look for her newer work, she still paints.
I think you should ask the kids. My aunt had a few of these when I was a kid, and I liked them. Your kids might like them too.
I am always surprised by folks choosing to decorate their kids room. Let the kid decide. They have one room. You have a whole house (and office?).
At the very least ask the kid before you ask AT. Sheesh.
Your children may like them when they are older and ready for decor with more of an edge-then I bet they will much more able to interpret the art as art. Save them for another day.
I cannot stop laughing. The idea of putting this image in your child's room. The term "adorable" really got me going, and reading the comments I almost wet my pants. A painted titled "Rejected" !!! oh my god.
Is this a joke?
I side with your husband and everyone else who has replied to ask your child.
I think they do have a negative message.
There's some kitsch that's fun and works in a kid's room, and there's some that doesn't...
This most emphatically doesn't.
I'd ask first. Even if they're young they will have an opinion. I'm a fan of the cats but even they are kinda depressing. I sold all the ones I had in my 20's.
Creepy. Depressing.
Keith Haring
Dinosaurs
Earth-friendly
People of the world
-- especially this one.
Shoot. Now I want to buy that last one.
I used to have a lot of occult artwork up on my walls. Now I have small children. The dark art is in storage. Maybe I'd put it up if I had my own space.
Why, hello there, Uncanny Valley Denizen.
Yeah...ask your kids. I personally think these are creep-tastic. They remind me of dolls and dolls pretty much give me the heeby-jeebies. I would NOT want this in my space at all.
My 8 year old daughter just said that she actually likes that it's creepy, but no way would she want it hanging in her room! (too sad!)
so creepy
I'd ask the kids what they thought. If the kids were depressed or scared of them- no way. Just a thought.
Hang it over the toilet in you master bath. Hang it behind the door in your own closet. Really, do you need to ask whether to inflict it on your young kids? If it hadn't been moody, creepy when you first saw it, you would have passed. Wait til your girls are pre teen/ teens and have a crisis every twenty minutes; THEN you can pull the Keane out as a role model.
I wish I could unsee it.
It's Precious Moments for the depressive set.
Hey, that would look good next to the black velvet Elvis or matador paintings! Maybe with the paint by number masterpieces. Never did see the appeal of the big-eye stuff, sad or not, but this sad stuff is just, well, sad.
I think there are plenty of great Keane paintings you could hang in a kid's room. The pictured example is pretty extreme. I would not hang that one in my kid's room.
I would have absolutely hated to have any Keane artwork in my room as child - I find them incredibly unsettling.
I've never been a fan, but I don't think having one in a kid's room is going to cause the level of mental trauma that many are suggesting here.
The room will look better without it!
Ooh, definitely. Do this. Step 2, the Tooth Fairy Years, can feature Edward Gorey.
By middle school, they should be all set for the full H.R. Giger.
You can round it out with some Bosch for that "pop" of color.
THATKRIS: I think I love you!
I don't care for them, and they're awfully depressing for a child's room. I disliked them years ago, and still do.
If your daughters are old enough for big girl beds, they're old enough to tell you whether or not they want your art in their rooms.
I have an almost 3 year old nephew who is obsessed with zombies....we think he got it from his older brother who is 6 and claims that his step dad (which he doesn't have) is Dracula and his invisible sister is also a vampire and her name is Sebella. We watched the movie "Coraline" with the older one when he was 4, I was thoroughly creeped out by the intro and he was patting my leg saying "it's not creepy aunty, it's not creepy."
Point being, although I think the picture is creepy and weird, your children may not. Ask them and see what they say, and if they're too young for that...just wait until they are older, you don't want to be the parent that unknowingly scars your child for life. lol.
When I was little, my best friend had one of these in her room. That thing make me completely HEARTSICK! And made me scared at night that whatever happened to that little girl might happen to ME! When you're that little, images and words go straight to the core, not a lot of filters that we adults have that tell us something is "kitsch" or somehow stylishly vintagely ironically whatever. Let THEM pick something they really love to look at!
ps: I saw that painting when I was FOUR YEARS OLD. I'm 44 and still remember in fine detail how sad it made me. THAT's why these are not good images for a little kid to be looking at.
I wouldn't inflict it on my child. If you love it, put it in your personal space. This does NOT mean the master bedroom.
Another no vote. Like 1952ranch said, home should be a warm, comforting place for children.
Ewwwwwww.
This gives me the heebie-jeebies!
My sibs and I had Keane art when we were kids in the '60s and we weren't creeped out or depressed by the pieces. Since I haven't seen the pictures in many years, I did a search and found them under Walter Keane's name. The girls, in particular, weren't really happy looking, more wistful (one is a girl w/ balloons and the other a girl on the steps of Chinatown somewhere). And I always loved the richness of the colors. But I have to say, the one you pictured is exceptionally sad. I wouldn't use it in a child's room (though maybe in another part of the house as part of a gallery of art). And, as others have suggested, if your girls are old enough for big-girl rooms, they are old enough to have input on the kind of art that appeals to them.
I think you need to have your very own place in the house to hang stuff you like. Childrenshould be able te create their own space, too. I made a big painting of bunnies flying in the sky with balloons but my son liked decals with happy sheep and parachutes better. So here we go, happy sheep. The bunnies ended on my wall in my workshop were they are put to work as reference for my next book. And I think it's ok.
She's crying because.......
You won't eat green beans, and she's starving.
You left your clothes on the floor, again.
The tooth fairy isn't going to leave you any money.
You wet the bed.
You told a LIE.
You didn't share your toys.
There's no Santa.
Her mommy didn't come home.
If you do decide to use it, you might want to get some dogs playing cards to go with it. Why do you want your child's first experience with wall decoration to be anti-art?
No no no no and no.
Not in a kid's room, not in an adult's room, not in any home I'll own or place I'll ever frequent.
Keane paintings are the creepiest things ever.
Not fun-creepy like Gorey or Burton, just bad-ugly-disturbing creepy.
I think it depends on the kids; I'd ask them. This artwork wouldn't have creeped me out, yet porcelain dolls scared the shizzit out of me as a kid. Most parents think those are peachy keen, but they did NOT work for me...
how about just let the child pick out what she wants? or better yet, use the child's art.
@OhJodi - that made me laugh out loud.
The picture? Creeptastic. And yes, the worst kind of anti-art.
Oh wow! I just checked out the Black Apple etsy shop that someone mentioned upthread - LOVE!!
BURN IT.
so incredibly sad...no no no. i would be scared this could negatively impact a child...especially the "rejection" theme
@RYTTU3K you almost made me spit out my coffee laughing.
First, I agree that your kids should decide whether or not they like the thing as much as you do. If it's for you, not them, put it where you can see it, not them.
Second, I have always despised the waif paintings. Not because they are creepy, although I guess they are if I think about it, but because to me they are kitsch that is just ugly and cheap looking. (Sorry, Keane fans, but there you are!) So I'd NEVER have one, not an original, not signed, not for anything!!!
I personally love it but would never hang it in my child's room even if he/ she loved it. That being said, my 10 yr old daughter loves everything creepy yet I doubt she would want that hanging in her room. Most children I know like the creepy stuff in moderation. If you love it, hang it somewhere else in the house where you can appreciate it.
I'd have to agree with your husband and most of the other commenters--creepy and depressing, and bad feng shui to have something like that in a kids room.
If you like it, put it in YOUR bedroom. But that is not kid friendly art. A bedroom is a place to sleep and feel safe. Why in the world would you put something in a bedroom that has a good chance of taking that away from a child?
I grew up with a crying Keane above my bed. Even though I was a super emotional, easily freaked out kid, that painting never bothered me. I just loved to stare at. Now my daughter has a similar Keane above her bed, it is a small one of a little serious girl holding a poodle (she is not crying, just serious).
So far my daughter has never mentioned her painting, but if I ever think she doesn't like, I'll take it down.
I'm a goth. I wear black clothing most of the time. i'm known to wear a lot of silver and dye my hair bright red. I've even pointed my fingernails on occasion, and I get off putting in fangs made of dental material at Halloween and scaring small children. I even make bat-shaped gingerbread cookies for Christmas. And you know what?
That painting is creepy, and I wish I had some brain bleach right now, so I could forget I saw it.
Those Keane paintings weirded me out as a child, and they seem even more sinister now. Unless you want your kid to grow up to be a serial killer, don't put that stuff up in your house.
APPARENTLY there is a movie coming out about them: http://www.artinfo.com/news/story/757414/tim-burtons-%E2%80%9Cbig-eyes%E2%80%9D-to-star-reese-witherspoon-as-cheated-artist-margaret-keane
I think they're soul-staringly terrifying. But when asked how it makes her feel, my four-year-old said "happy!" To each their own I guess, and that includes children. Ask yours!
Also, while you have the right to like anything you want, why not put some non-kitschy art in your kids' room? I'd actually feel more comfortable putting a Bosch paining in a kid's room than the painting above, because Bosch is so complex and weirdly beautiful. Or Gorey print. Or any number of funny/creepy/cute prints. But this one isn't funny or cute. It's just creepy, and on the level of (as someone else mentioned) dogs playing cards or sad clowns on velvet (I actually had one of those in my room as a kid, and I couldn't wait to get rid of it).
I just made the mistake of looking up 'Keane paintings'. I saw some of her newer stuff. It looks 'happier', but it's still disturbing and creepy. I think I'm going to go and slit my wrists now.
I decorated my son's room with National Geographic maps I bought for pennies at garage sales, and dime store (that was in they days before Dollar Stores :) prints of classic "ships at sea" art. As it turned out, my son joined the Navy, became a cartographer, and loves to sail, but honestly---I was just trying to cover up the crummy wood paneling!
I agree with those who have advised you to ask your kids what they want. If they love it, that, to me, overrides your husbands objection. But, on the contrary, if it creep them out or they don't like it in any way, that should also override your design ideas as well. I love it and would have loved it in my room when I was young. I probably wouldn't put it in a very small child's room unless it was on a gallery wall with more positive images surrounding it (not a bad idea even if it ends up in a older child's room). I don't think it is creepy or depressing, nor do I think it would be psychologically harmful in any way. In contrast, I think it is healthy for kids to know that it's okay to be sad and to cry sometimes. I definitely wouldn't want it to be the only artwork in the room, however. You'll want to balance it out with something a little more cheerful.
You've said what you think. You've said what your husband thinks. You've asked AT what we think.
It seems like the only ones you haven't asked are the ones who will be most impacted by the decision. =^/
Don't your kids get a say what goes in their rooms?
From the first time we saw them in 1962 at a Madison Avenue gallery in NYC, my best friend and I were repelled by the Keane paintings. To us, both 11th graders, they were the epitome of gimmickry and phoniness. We could hardly believe that they were actually being sold as art in New York City. The gallery also contained a bunch of works in progress, white canvasses with only the eyes painted in - the rest of the canvas thin outlines in charcoal. We made fun of them for years and even now at 66 the mention of Keane paintings brings on the laughs. For art's sake alone, I would say nix!
The vote seems to be nearly unanimous, but don't underestimate the power of saying "Oh, those people just don't understand how adorable these paintings are" and not letting your husband know the public overwhelmingly sides with him.
I've never been a fan of AT's fetish for hanging empty picture frames, but in this case I'll make an exception.
Bad art. Bad idea.
So sad. I wouldn't want to stare at it if I were a child. I don't like it now. It looks like a 'save the children' ad done in oil. Why not let the child choose what should hang in their space?
Creepy indeed, and those eyes remind me of Bratz dolls.
I agree, ask the kids. I was always putting up happy boy type stuff in my son's room and one day he came across a poster that he just had to have (he was 9). Dali's Metamorphosis of Narcissus! He loved it and still has it 15 years later I grew up with Keane's in my room but they were the happier Mod ones. Give them a chance, they might surprise you.
Creepy, ugly, depressing.
Hey, that would look good next to the black velvet Elvis or matador paintings! Maybe with the paint by number masterpieces. Never did see the appeal of the big-eye stuff, sad or not, but this sad stuff is just, well, sad.
POSTED BY MAYNELANDER ON 08.30.12 AT 06:46PM
this is not art, it is disneyesque psychoporn.! Your husband must be a ling suffering man!
I wouldn't want to wake up and see those eyes looking at me. I am creeped out by dolls and the like anyway.
looks like an "artistic" representation of my childhood. very disturbing.
From an art historian's perspective, they are both creepy and pretty tacky.
I wouldn't put them in a child's room but that is because I believe that children over the age of 5 should have the larger input into decorating their room. I am always surprised by the mom's who send their 11 year old off to school and then begin the renovation/redecoration of that child's room. My mother insisted on decorating my room until I went to college. What I would do, were I in your position, is this. You might have a place where you store things? I would simply put the paintings or prints there and then let the children choose a certain number of things to go into their room. If they choose the paintings, fine. If they don't then it will be just as fine. But it needs to be their choice without being influenced by either parent and if they disagree on anything then they need to work it out on their own or with a non-related arbitator.
Children and kitsch...do they really go together?
If you must have kitsch for your kids, what about dogs playing poker? I loved those when I was a kid.
But knowingly exposing your children to depressing nightmarish vision just because you have a thing for kitsch....not really on board with that idea.
I side with the HELL NO vote. Definately creepy & depressing. I would not want that picture of a rejected child anywhere near my children.
However, if the kids want them, then hang them. But maybe take them down for sleepovers or no kid is ever going to have a slumber party at your place ever again.
Have none of you privileged people's kids gone through a major trauma or loss? Really, shielding them from negative images? Not letting them see that sadness exists? My kid would be really draw to this sort of reflection of how she feels quite a bit of the time.
Awful. Not because it's sad, because it's ugly. Really, really ugly. Tasteless. Terrible. Like Thomas Kinkaide forgot his Zoloft. The only thing that could make this wore would be printing it on an acrylic throw. Seriously, terrible.
I vote for letting the kids decide -- and if one votes to have the picture hanging, make sure BOTH of the girls want it. And you said you have several -- let them pick from all of them.
By the way, my mother has a couple of souvenir painting postcards from Paris of big-eyed kids riding bicycles with huge baguettes. Even on bikes they look like they're sporting shiners.
Weighing in a little bit late - but sorry I side with your husband. Hideous - creepy - ugly - yep I pretty much agree with all the haters. This would give an adult nightmares.