Thomas Kinkade Net Worth

What is Thomas Kinkade's Net Worth?

Thomas Kinkade was an American artist who had a net worth of $70 million dollars. Born in 1958 in Sacramento, California, Thomas Kinkade enrolled in the University of California at Berkeley and the Art Center College of Design. Kinkade traveled the United States in 1980 and landed a contract to create a sketching handbook: "The Artist's Guide to Sketching". The book's success earned Kinkade an artist's job on the production of the animated movie "Fire and Ice" in 1983. Following the movie, he began working full-time as a painter, becoming best known for his pastel colors and gorgeous settings. Kinkade often credited his hometown of Placerville for inspiring many of his paintings of Main Street, lighthouses, streams and gardens. He also became famous for his commercialization of his work, something that was often criticized by the art industry. He sold prints on home shopping network QVC, and critics often referred to his work at "kitsch". Kinkade seemed to embrace the debate, remarking in an interview that he is "the most controversial artist in the world". Kinkade's paintings are among the most frequently counterfeited in the world.

Even after his death, his paintings continue to be sold. During the height of his career, he was reportedly earning more than 50 million dollars each week. He was the artist of choice for numerous anniversary celebrations, such as Disney's 50th Anniversary and the 85th farewell season of Yankee Stadium. He was the patron of numerous organizations, including the Make-a-Wish Foundation (he became the group's official spokesperson in 2003) and the Salvation Army. Kinkade died on April 6, 2012, in Monte Sereno, California. The cause of death was acute intoxication from combining alcohol and Valium. Kinkade is buried at Madronia Cemetery in California. He and his wife, Nanette Wiley, married in 1982 and had four children together. They separated a year before his death.