The "Big Eyes" paintings of Margaret Keane

Art to some, kitsch to others. In the 1960s the image of a tearful tot with eyes as big as saucers became known around the world as a "Keane," after Walter Keane. Those big-eyed waifs made him a celebrity - except Walter Keane didn't actually paint any of those children.

His wife, Margaret Keane, did, while Walter just pretended to - and took much of the credit.

Now a new movie directed by Tim Burton, "Big Eyes," tells the story of Margaret and Walter Keane and the artistic legacy which was decided in court.

Keane Art

Margaret, who had painted most of her life, met Walter in San Francisco in 1954. She signed her works "Keane" - and Walter sold them as his own. When Margaret found out, he convinced her they would sell better if people thought the artist was a man.

"The whole thing snow-balled so fast, almost overnight," said Margaret. She told CBS News' Lee Cowan that the two argued and fought over the issue for about a year, "until finally I just gave in."

Keane Eyes Gallery

Now 87, Margaret Keane stills paints, and exhibits her work at the Keane Eyes Gallery in San Francisco.

"I was always drawing eyes, even as a child. Eyes fascinated me," she said.

Keane Art

Though critics derided the work, the public loved those big eyes, and the money started rolling in. Walter's fame grew, while she remained silent - and, she admits, complicit.

"I was to blame," she said. "If I hadn't allowed it, it wouldn't have happened."

Keane Art

Left: "Asian Pearl" by Margaret Keane.

"I was a very abused wife," Margaret Keane told Cowan. "Psychologically abused, tremendously. I kept getting deeper and deeper in this hole, and I didn't know how to get out."

Keane Eyes Gallery

It was only after Margaret moved to Hawaii and filed for divorce that she eventually took Walter to court. "I think a lot of the uncertainty about who did them will be cleared up," she said at the time.

The clincher? The judge ordered them both to paint for the jury. Walter said his shoulder hurt and couldn't paint, while Margaret painted her signature big-eyed waif in just under an hour.

The jury was suitably impressed, and awarded Margaret $4 million. But she never saw a dime of it.

Keane Art

A painting by Margaret Keane.

Keane Art

"Steep Climb" by Margaret Keane.

Keane Art

A painting by Margaret Keane.

Keane Art

"Bay View" by Margaret Keane.

Keane Art

A painting by Margaret Keane.

Keane Art

A Margaret Keane painting.

"Big Eyes"

"Big Eyes," directed by Tim Burton, stars Amy Adams as Margaret, and Christoph Waltz as Walter.

Adams met Keane at the gallery before filming started. She wanted to watch Margaret's technique, to see how she held the brush and touched the canvas. Adams even added a few strokes herself, as Margaret Keane looked on.

So what did she paint? "A leaf!" Adams laughed. "I thought, you know, I'm not gonna touch the eyes! I'm not gonna touch the face!"