Polish contemporary artist Zdzislaw Beksinski, famed for his haunting fantasy paintings, has been found murdered at his home, police said on Tuesday. Police said they found multiple wounds on Beksinski's body, discovered at his flat in a prestigious Warsaw neighbourhood. "His body was found late last night by his family. He had several wounds, some on his chest, which could have been caused by for example a dagger," police spokeswoman Zuzanna Talar said.

The 75-year-old artist became famous around Europe and Japan in the 1970s and 80s for his paintings that depicted disfigured objects or people against a background of hazy romantic light.

Beksinski, born in the south-east town of Sanok in 1929, was also a photographer and sculptur, and drew pictures often compared to the work of Austrian Ernst Fuchs, founder of a fantastic-realism school.

Copyright Reuters, 2005