Margaret Keane, the American painter known for her iconic "Big Eyed Waif" portraits, died on June 26 at age 94 in her Napa Valley home due to heart failure. For years, her second husband Walter Keane fraudulently claimed credit for her work, a deception that unraveled in the 1970s when she challenged him to a public paint-off and later won a courtroom showdown in 1986. Her story gained renewed attention with Tim Burton's 2014 film *Big Eyes*, starring Amy Adams.
Keane's legacy matters because she reclaimed her artistic identity after decades of erasure, becoming a symbol of perseverance against patriarchal exploitation in the art world. Her distinctive style—featuring figures with oversized, expressive eyes—influenced popular culture, including the *Powerpuff Girls*, and her work continues to resonate with new generations. The 2014 film and subsequent honors, including a lifetime achievement award at the Los Angeles Art Show in 2018, cemented her place in both art history and broader cultural memory.