Artist Franz West Dies

West passed away peacefully in Vienna, Austria on Thursday (26Jul12). No further details of his death were available as WENN went to press.

The contemporary sculptor, who was married to fellow artist Tamuna Sirbiladze, studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna and has been described as "one of the most innovative and progressive artists of his generation", according to the Bbc.

He began his career in the 1960s and his work has been exhibited at galleries around the world, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Gagosian Gallery in Beverly Hills, California, and the Whitechapel Art Gallery in London.

Franz was handed a Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement award at major contemporary art exhibition, the Venice Biennale, in 2011.