By Associated Press - Tuesday, November 8, 2016

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) - An art museum in Fort Wayne has received more than 200 paintings and 500 prints by an acclaimed American artist.

The Fort Wayne Museum of Art announced Monday it has been given the works by the estate of artist David Shapiro, who died from cancer in 2014. The estimated $6.2 million collection makes it the largest gift the museum has ever received.

It’s unclear why Fort Wayne was chosen to receive the items. The museum curator couldn’t be reached for comment, The Journal Gazette (https://bit.ly/2eBkCtz ) reported.

John Hrehov, chairman of Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne’s fine arts department, describes Shapiro’s work as “really handsome, really elegant minimalism.”

He said several of Shapiro’s pieces with different colored squares in a horizontal pattern are “quietly beautiful.”

Hrehov believes Fort Wayne’s art museum demonstrated obvious interest in and respect for Shapiro’s work and the ability to care for the valuable pieces.

This is the fourth significant gift in the past two years for the museum’s permanent collection. Others include 110 prints by Robert Kipniss, 95 prints by Katja Oxman and 230 prints and paintings by Steven Sorman.

Shapiro’s work can be found in numerous private and public collections, including the Museum of Modern Art and the Solomon Guggenheim Museum in New York.

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Information from: The Journal Gazette, https://www.journalgazette.net

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