The Associated Press

SYDNEY (AP) — Margaret Olley, one of Australia's most beloved artists who was renowned for her still-life paintings, has died. She was 88.

Susanne Briggs, spokeswoman for the Art Gallery of New South Wales, says Olley was found dead Tuesday in her Sydney home. Many of Olley's paintings are displayed at the gallery.

Olley was born in Lismore, New South Wales, on June 24, 1923. An art teacher noticed her talent when she was a young student at a girls' boarding school in Brisbane, and encouraged Olley's parents to send their daughter to art school. Olley eventually became one of the country's most lauded still-life painters.

Olley was widely praised not just for her work, but for her philanthropy and generosity.