Sliman Mansour, iconic Palestinian artist, dies at 79

Sliman Mansour, a prominent Palestinian painter, sculptor, and cultural figure, died in Jerusalem at the age of 79 on August 24, 2026. Born in Birzeit in 1947, Mansour dedicated over five decades to documenting Palestinian identity, land, and the struggle for liberation through his art.

He is most widely recognized for his iconic 1973 painting, ‘Jamal al-Mahamel’ (The Camel of Hardships), which depicts an elderly porter carrying the city of Jerusalem on his back. This work became a national symbol of resilience and is widely reproduced across the Arab world.

Throughout his career, Mansour used art as a form of resistance. During the First Intifada, he co-founded the ‘New Visions’ collective, which pivoted away from imported materials to use local elements like mud, henna, and straw. His work frequently featured motifs such as olive trees, traditional embroidered clothing, and the landscape of Palestine to assert cultural presence.

Mansour was a founding member of the League of Palestinian Artists and received numerous international honors, including the UNESCO-Sharjah Prize for Arab Culture. His passing has been mourned by the Palestinian Ministry of Culture and various international artistic institutions.