Western artist Harry Jackson dies at age 87

[April 28, 2011]  CODY, Wyo. (AP) -- Wyoming artist Harry Jackson, known for both his works of abstract expressionism and images of the American West, has died at the age of 87.

Funeral home officials told the Casper-Star Tribune that Jackson died Monday at the veterans' hospital in Sheridan.

He was born in Chicago in 1924 but made his way to Wyoming in his early teens to work on a ranch. He was a combat artist for the Marines during World War II.

His paintings and sculptures can be found at museums including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Smithsonian American Art Museum and in collections owned by the Saudi Arabian royal family and Queen Elizabeth.

The Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Wyoming contains the largest museum collection of his work in the United States.

[Associated Press]

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