MovieChat Forums > Big Eyes (2014) Discussion > At the end of the day....

At the end of the day....

posted 8 years ago by Elliot1976
6 replies | jump to latest

...was it really fraud? Doesn't this happen all the time?

I mean that other people do the work while another person takes the credit, seems to be basic procedure.
Keane basically sold a product and he did that pretty successfully. Probably w/o him, Margaret wouldn't have had the huge commercial success.
Walt Disney's name is written on all Disney products(movies, comics, merchandise) and he never drew one single drawing.

Burton of all people knows this. He used to be one of the people who did the art with Disney's signature on it.

[–] bthrock 8 years ago

But did Disney claim "I drew all this"? No. So it's not the same thing.

[–] Elliot1976 8 years ago

I never claimed it's the same thing. I asked if it is really fraud because in one way or the other that was standard procedure in art. How many singers don't really do the vocals. how many cartoonists didn't really do the artwork, how many painters had their assistants do it etc.?
Even many classic masters in painting often had their assistants do the paintings and they just signed the work.http://faso.com/fineartviews/38751/artists-debate-over-the-use-of-artist-assistants-where-do-you-stand

Who knows what kind of an agreement the Keanes actually had. Maybe Walter DID have the ideas for the artwork and did all the public relation work while Margaret concentrated on the craftsmanship.
Later after the divorce she could have decided to want all the credit. Do we really know what really happened?
For me the whole story is a bit one-sided.

[–] greg-233 8 years ago

It's fraud if someone is knowingly deceiving and misleading people. The fact that the Old Masters had assistants who helped out with producing the artwork was well-known and therefore hardly a scandal.

Walter Keane, on the other hand, was perfectly happy to let everyone believe that he was the sole creator of the paintings, even though he had the opportunity to come clean from the beginning.

[–] otter 7 years ago

It would be fraud for Walter to claim legal ownership of paintings done by someone else, or to keep money from their sale for himself.

He defrauded Margaret Keane big time, he kept most of the money earned from the sale of her paintings. FYI he pissed it all away and died dirt poor.

“Seventy-seven courses and a regicide, never a wedding like it!

[–] sparklingly 8 years ago

I wouldn't say it's not fraud just because it might happen a lot. I also don't get the example of Disney because it's a brand so of course his name will be on things that are part of the company.

When your mind breaks the spirit of your soul.

[–] CheshireCatsGrin 7 years ago

Disney's work listed the artists, storyboard and inkers on his shorts and full features. His comic books also listed the artists. They all had the Disney logo, which was a font based on his signature, as a Walt Disney production which was true. It was also all done by his studios under his supervision while he was alive.