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Australian painter Margaret Olley dies aged 88

Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Australian painter Margaret Olley dies
Margaret Olley in 2006.

Beloved Australian painter Margaret Olley has died at the age of 88.

The artist was found dead at her home in Sydney's Paddington in the early hours of this morning.

A spokeswoman for the Art Gallery of NSW has confirmed the news, saying the cause of death was not yet known.

Olley was born in Lismore in 1923 and became one of Australia's best-loved still life painters. Her career spanned more than 60 years, from her first solo show in 1948 to the one she was working on when she died, which was due to open in September.

Related: Margaret Olley's life

Olley is also one of the most-painted women in Australia. Artist Ben Quilty's portrait of her won this year's Archibald Prize, 63 years after William Dobell's painting of her took out the same award in 1948.

She was also a great benefactor to Australian public galleries, regularly donating money to the Art Gallery of NSW and the Museum of Contemporary Art.

Olley never married or had children, once describing herself as "too independent to be subservient to anyone".

Video: Margaret Olley portrait takes out Archibald Prize

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