Sliman Mansour, pioneer of Palestinian visual art, dies at 79

Sliman Mansour, a foundational figure in contemporary Palestinian visual art, has died at the age of 79. His funeral was held on August 26 at the Anglican Church in his hometown of Birzeit in the West Bank.

Over a five-decade career, Mansour established a visual vocabulary for Palestinian identity and resistance. Rather than following Western Abstract Expressionism, he utilized social realism to reflect the lived realities of his people. His work frequently centered on agrarian traditions, including olive groves, limestone architecture, and traditional tatreez embroidery. He synthesized Levantine folk art, Byzantine iconography, and Mexican Muralism to create accessible art focused on heritage and collective endurance.

Among his most iconic works is the 1973 oil painting ‘Jamal al-Mahamil’ (The Camel of Burdens), which depicts an elderly porter carrying Jerusalem. Mansour also co-founded the New Visions collective during the First Intifada in 1987. Tributes from organizations such as the A. M. Qattan Foundation and the Shababeek Group for Contemporary Art highlighted his role in elevating Palestinian art to global platforms and his ability to articulate the struggle for freedom.