Art worlds

Margaret Keane , whose wildly popular paintings of big-eyed, melancholy children (and later celebrities with deep pockets) became one of the most widely recognized signature artistic styles of the late 20th Century – and whose long battle with her husband over his fraudulent and lucrative claims of authorship inspired the 2014 Tim Burton film Big Eyes starring Amy Adams – died Sunday at home in Napa, California. She was 94. Her death was reported on her official Facebook page today: “We’re sad to announce that Margaret Keane, ‘The Mother of Big Eyes, our Queen, a Modern Master and Legend’ peacefully passed away Sunday morning at her home in Napa, CA, she was 94.” Her daughter Jane Swigert told The New York Times that the cause of death was heart failure. Keane’s instantly recognizable paintings of children, typically portrayed and described as waifs with huge, sad and dinner-plate-sized eyes, became massively popular in the 1950s and ’60s, at first sincerely … [Read more...] about Margaret Keane Dies: Kitschy ‘Big Eyes’ Artist, Subject Of Tim Burton Biopic Was 94

Danger Mouse has announced his own Columbia Records imprint, 30th Century Records, which will feature artists personally signed by the songwriter-producer. Danger Mouse – best known for high-profile collaborations ( Gnarls Barkley , Broken Bells ) and production work (U2, the Black Keys, Beck) – will debut the label with his first signing, experimental rock trio Autolux , who are currently working on their follow-up to 2010’s Transit Transit . “In the dreamless world of the music industry, it’s rare to find a champion who wants to use the business to promote the art rather than the art to promote the business,” Autolux tells Rolling Stone .  “When Brian heard our record, it was clear he understood what we are doing and where we want to go.” Danger Mouse is rumored to be producing two of the most two heavily anticipated new LPs from artists at opposite ends of the sonic spectrum: Red Hot Chili Peppers and Adele. In February, Chili Peppers bassist Flea tweeted – in a … [Read more...] about Danger Mouse Preps New Record Label, Signs Autolux

Messages from close friends and industry folks alike flooded Oliver Tree ’s phone after the Kid Laroi released the cinematically eccentric video for “ Thousand Miles ” in late April. Friends and colleagues wanted to know if Tree had helped direct the video, as snippets from it seemed to mirror his own work. The 28-year-old took a closer look and realized that some scenes were nearly identical to visuals he came up with for his own music. So, on April 28, Tree posted a TikTok showing side-by-side clips of his 2021 video for “Asshole” and Laroi’s recent work, accusing the visual’s director of cribbing. The visual similarities are hard to ignore: In each video, Laroi and Tree stick their heads out of a vehicle while driving, get hit by identical ambulances, and lie flattened on the ground — in exactly the same position — as a camera zooms in from above. “They steal that many shots and thought I wouldn’t notice?” Tree captioned the post. The video soon went viral on TikTok, … [Read more...] about ‘The Exact Same Thing’: Oliver Tree Accuses the Kid Laroi Director of Copying His Videos