British abstract artist Gillian Ayres dies at 88

LONDON (AP) - British artist Gillian Ayres, whose abstract works celebrated shape and color, has died at 88.

The Alan Cristea Gallery, which represented her, says Ayres died "peacefully" in the hospital Wednesday near her home in southwest England.

Gallery-owner Alan Cristea said "as a female abstract artist working in the U.K., Gillian Ayres was way ahead of her time and the vast majority of her male counterparts, but of course, for her, gender was an irrelevance."

Ayres was praised for her bold abstract paintings and prints. She was nominated for the prestigious Turner Prize, and had solo exhibitions around the world, including shows at the Tate Gallery in 1995 and the Royal Academy of Arts in 1997.

Her works are in major collections, including Britain's Tate and New York's Museum of Modern Art.