PalCinema Review: Art for Everybody
An interesting documentary about the hugely successful artist, Thomas Kinkade
May 29, 2025
FILM: ART FOR EVERYBODY
DIRECTED BY: MIRANDA YOUSEF
RATING: 3 ½ out of 4 stars
Back in the 1990s and early 2000s, my mother and sister-in-law Carol were in love with the work of Thomas Kindade. Their Christmas lists usually included something by the artist whether it was a print, collectible plate, calendar, or some other product with his work on it. I didn’t know much about him and assumed he was one of those artists that had been around for decades or had passed away. While I found his work to be lovely and serene, it didn’t interest me much. Then time went by and I forgot about him, knowing only that he was Christian and had a lot of followers. The documentary Art For Everybody nicely fills in the gaps as to who the man was, how he soared in popularity, and what caused his downfall.
Miranda Yousef directed the film and does an interesting job uncovering some archival recordings, interviews, and art from the man who peaked in commercial success in the early 2000s. Yousef begins with a recording by Kinkade from his teen years when he discussed his burgeoning talent and concern that he’d end up like Vincent van Gogh –who allegedly died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the age of 37. Jump ahead twenty-seven years later and Kinkade has become a sensation with many of his works put on display, adapted to furnishings and mugs, and sold at stores that bared his name.
Yousef interviews several members of his family, including his ex-wife and all his daughters, to provide a larger portrait of Kinkade who became a major commercial phenomenon, possibly unlike any other artist before or since. The closest may be Andy Warhol who is discussed with staff members of the Andy Warhol Museum. This may seem on the surface unrelated until art critics express how negatively they view Kinkade’s work - as some also did with Warhol’s. Because he was so successful, one might wonder if the criticisms put forth stem from pure art knowledge or jealousy. Kinkade was able to make his work highly accessible and in this sense the film partially depicts the artist as a genius and innovator.
The family’s perspective is generally positive on Kinkade but there are hints throughout that he had a dark side which he kept hidden from the public. Kinkade had a vault which contained his other works using alternate modalities and pseudonyms. They were also much less peaceful-looking than what was being sold to the public. While the popular works contained themes of light and cozy looking cottages, his vaulted works demonstrate the pain of the world he saw when he was much younger. Was he also painting these alongside his commercial works? That remains a bit unclear. However, the family shows that there were thousands of such Kinkade works that the public has never seen.
In essence then, did the art buying public really know who Kinkade was based on his available work? Does it matter? The film interviews some collectors of Kinkade’s work and none of it seems to include his darker images and themes. Are these necessary to see? One interviewee states that “there is no Al-Qaeda in the bushes of Kinkade’s works.” Was he instead trying to present “an earth we wish we lived?” There is definitely something very old-fashioned about the settings Kinkade painted with family, faith, and God seemingly at its center and no strife, diverse groups, or negativity represented.
The film also explores Kinkade’s later personal downfall due to the pressure and anxiety of keeping up his empire. Drinking, the dissolution of his marriage, and business slow-downs became other significant factors in his life which contributed to his eventual fade from the public consciousness and death.
Art for Everybody is definitely an interesting and eye-opening portrait of an artist who was much more layered than perhaps most people thought. Does it matter what his audience knows? Does it matter if art critics find his work deeply flawed? Yousef presents such questions without judgement. While I wouldn’t be surprised if we end up seeing exhibits of his “other” works, I’m sure there are still people who find great comfort in the images he painted that were sold for massive consumption.
Art for Everybody is currently being shown at special screenings in Los Angeles, Portland, Maine, Jefferson City, Missouri, and Washington, D.C. It can also be streamed on the Roku Channel. For more details visit the film’s website.
Were you a fan of Kinkade’s work? Do you think people should be more aware of who he really was?
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Thank you for bringing this film to my attention. I know Kincade's paintings very well having seen them at malls and as puzzles over the years but had no idea about this documentary. I'll definitely be checking it out.
I appreciate his work fir what it was but not really to my taste. Interesting that he had other works that were of a different sort in his vault. I would like to see those.