If you believe you’ve never laid eyes on a piece by Thomas Kinkade, reconsider. The deceased artist, renowned for selling more artworks than any painter ever recorded, turned out an abundance of widely recognized, factory-made pieces featuring serene landscapes, charming streetscapes, and warm domestic interiors. However, this revered and appealing artist, who amassed a devoted fan base akin to those of celebrities, harbored aspects beneath the surface that were less apparent.
In her directorial debut, Miranda Yousef skillfully tackles Kinkade’s relevant and captivating tale with “Art for Everyone,” a compelling and well-structured depiction of his meteoric ascent and dramatic downfall.
Jekyll-and-Hyde-like artist
.
During the 1990s, Kinkade experienced tremendous popularity, with his artwork appearing on items ranging from collector’s plates to La-Z-Boy recliners. This coincided with cultural debates over the sexualization of art during that era. Embracing his newfound faith, Kinkade aligned himself more closely with traditional family values and gained recognition for producing imagery that resonated particularly within religious communities and beyond. However, questions arise about whether this shift stemmed primarily from strategic positioning or genuine conviction.
Yousef, who also handled the editing of the film, provides a detailed examination of the artist’s complex life using robust archival and personal video clips along with honest conversations with relatives, peers, and various prominent individuals from the art world.
She traces Kinkade’s journey from his humble beginnings in Placerville, California, through his time as an unconventional art student at UC Berkeley and Pasadena’s ArtCenter College of Design in the late 1970s, and then moves on to his career as a background artist.
Ralph Bakshi
In his 1983 animated fantasy film “Fire and Ice,” Bakshi (who is now 86 years old) expresses great admiration for Kinkade’s skills and dedication to his craft.
Kinkade’s initial works were frequently somber and thought-provoking. However, it was his shift towards painting—particularly his distinctive pastoral palettes featuring nearly celestial lit windows and skies—that enabled him and his business collaborator Ken Raasch to build an extensive art enterprise. At its zenith, this venture purportedly generated over $100 million annually from sales. Among various profitable ventures, Kinkade’s branded store chains within malls and his presence on QVC stood out as key earners for him. Despite being labeled “The Painter of Light,” he shared this moniker with British artist J.M.W. Turner who had laid claim to it back in the early 1800s.
However, purely from an artistic perspective, was Kinkade’s work actually good? Or was it merely considered low-brow art?
The Los Angeles Times art critic Christopher Knight, known for his direct comments, states that Kinkade “achieved considerable cultural significance despite producing poor quality artwork.” Regarding his well-known cottage artworks, Knight describes them as “a stereotype built on top of an illusion based on a terrible concept. This cottage could be home to the Wicked Witch…I prefer not to venture inside.”
Journalist and author
Susan Orlean
(“The Orchid Thief,”) profiles Kinkade for a 2001 New Yorker piece titled after this documentary. He describes Kinkade’s work as “highly sentimental, somewhat gaudy, and rather quaint,” even though it undoubtedly has widespread popularity.
Despite being portrayed in the movie’s scenes as self-assured and exuberant, almost like an evangelist, Kinkade counters his critics by asserting, “True art doesn’t focus on itself; true art captures life.” He then turned this conviction into financial success.
However, it’s the recent interviews with Kinkade’s spouse, Nanette (who tied the knot in 1982), along with their four children from Generation Y—Merritt, Chandler, Winsor, and Everett—that lend the documentary its heartfelt impact and offer crucial insights into the stormy individual hidden beneath those tranquil artworks.
Yousef skillfully guides us through the journey from Kinkade’s earlier days when he was remembered fondly as a dedicated husband and father, to a period where his career and growing popularity started overshadowing the well-being of those closest to him. According to his family, he could become “manic” and difficult to reach out to emotionally. This impression is further reinforced by glimpses seen in some backstage footage showing Kinkade interacting with his young daughters primarily as photo opportunities rather than engaging moments between parent and child during promotions. Moreover, the artist occasionally appears slick and argumentative, which contrasts sharply with his public image as a serene figurehead and everyman icon.
Between approximately 2006 and 2010, Kinkade faced multiple significant financial setbacks, such as declaring bankruptcy and dealing with crucial legal battles, which pushed him into a decline marked by concerning public conduct and dependency issues. (Videos depicting his uncontrolled craving for alcohol are disturbing.) His relatives, feeling both anger and fear, organized an intervention to compel the one-time abstainer back into treatment against his will. Although he attended, the rehabilitation process was unsuccessful. In 2012, at just 54 years old, he passed away due to accidentally taking too much alcohol along with Valium.
In the end, the heart of the movie revolves around the Kinkade daughters finding a hidden vault after their father’s death, containing a collection of his previously unseen artwork that pushes artistic boundaries. Much of this art reveals aspects of their father that were largely unknown—or perhaps unimaginable—to most people. This rediscovery allows them to gain new insights into their complicated father’s struggles and imperfections, adding depth and emotion to their understanding.
One of the other people interviewed by the doctor is former Times investigative journalist Kim Christensen, who
wrote several
articles
Regarding Kinkade’s legal issues, such as fraud at art galleries; his college sweetheart, who remembers him as having an occasionally aggressive, black-and-white personality; and the artist himself
Jeffrey Vallance
, who curated the only major survey exhibition of Kinkade’s work, held in 2004 at Cal State Fullerton’s Grand Central Art Center.
This tale initially surfaced in
Los Angeles Times
.