Artist Bert Long Jr., one of Houston's best known and most beloved artists, died of pancreatic cancer today.

He was 72.

Over Long's 33-year career, he won the esteemed Rome Prize and had his bold and highly personal acrylic paintings shown at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and museums across the country and in Europe.

At home in Houston, he was known as a man with a huge heart, great talent and, as friend and artist James Surls said, "the gall of a mule."

"Bert would walk in anywhere. He'd do anything. He was unabashed and unafraid," Surls said.

When the two artists first met, Long was trying to argue that his work should be included in a show at the Contemporary Arts Museum that Surls was curating.

Long didn't make into the show because there were already 100 artists selected, but Surls did come to Long's studio and look at his paintings.

"And when I did, it was the best work I'd ever seen," Surls said. "I was totally blown away. I couldn't believe it. And then I felt terrible. I should have put 101 artists in the show.

"Bert forgave me. Bert would forgive anybody. That was his nature."

Valerie Cassel Oliver, a senior curator at CAM, remembers Long's ability to work in many different mediums - acrylics, photography and sculpture, including ice sculpture.

Oliver says Long left a trail of beautiful art, including a 7 foot by 30 foot mural at the Looscan Neighborhood Library and a sculpture project at Project Row Houses that features a field of sculpted eyes.

"He wanted to remind people to look forward and back, inward and out," Oliver said. "The people of Houston have just suffered a great loss."

You can hear Long discuss one of his favorite pieces here:

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