Pioneer of Palestinian visual art, painter Sliman Mansour, passes away at 79

Painter Sliman Mansour, one of the pioneers of Palestinian art, lost his life on Monday evening at the age of 79. The artist's passing caused great sorrow in the art and cultural world.

Sliman Mansour, one of the most important names in Palestinian art, passed away on Monday evening at the age of 79. Following the news of his death, writer Samed Karagöz recalled his final conversation with the artist at his home in Jerusalem a few weeks prior. Mansour was among the most defining figures of the generation that built Palestine's visual memory. The artist's 1973 painting 'Camel of Hardship', depicting an elderly man carrying Jerusalem on his back, became a deeply rooted icon symbolizing Palestine's burden, attachment to the land, and exile.

Acting alongside artists who refused to use Israeli-made art materials during the First Intifada, Mansour turned to local materials such as mud, henna, and natural pigments, continuing his art as a form of action. Making the cracks formed by the drying of his mud figures an integral part of his work, the artist did not limit his legacy to his paintings alone. Paving the way for the establishment of institutions such as the Palestinian Artists Association and the al-Wasiti Art Center, Mansour also contributed to the institutionalization of art education. The artist, whose memoirs prepared with Rana Anani were published in Arabic under the title 'Ala Darb al-Ghoul', has left us at the age of 79.