The kitschy cottages on canvas are instantly recognisable, bathed in a warm light and wreathed with flowers in a nostalgic and colourful explosion of paint. Thomas Kinkade’s work was inescapable throughout the Nineties; it was nearly impossible to walk through any shopping mall — or suburban home, for that matter — without catching a glimpse of his trademark works.
The artist built an empire on his paintings, grounding his own image in faith and family — as he and the machine behind him bragged that a Kinkade hung in one in 20 American homes. By 2001, an actual California subdivision modeled in the Kinkade style emerged, with potential buyers flocking to tour cutesy homes and mock-cobblestone driveways.
