Dawn Images

Painter and sculptor Sliman Mansour, one of the most prominent names in Palestinian art, has died at the age of 79, his family announced.

Mansour, whose vivid artwork depicted both Palestinian traditions and his people’s struggles under Israeli occupation, died on Monday at his home in east Jerusalem, his family said.

“The final chapter has been written. With hearts gripped by sorrow beyond description, we announce that our dear father has left this world,” the family said in a statement.

“For the world, he leaves behind a life filled with beauty and memories, and a legacy that will continue through everyone whose lives he touched. As for us, we have lost a father who was the source of our love, our strength and our refuge.” Mansour was born in Birzeit, north of Ramallah, in 1947 and studied art and design in Jerusalem, graduating in 1970.

The Palestinian culture ministry mourned Mansour, calling him “one of the most important pillars of contemporary Palestinian visual art, whose career over decades formed part of the Palestinian visual and national memory”.

The ministry hailed his landmark 1973 painting, Camel of Hardships, depicting an elderly Palestinian porter carrying the city of Jerusalem on his back, as “an artistic and national icon”, adding that his work served “as witness to Palestinian history and guardian of identity”.

Mansour was the recipient of numerous awards, among them the UNESCO-Sharjah Prize for Arab Culture in 2019.

Cover photo: Sliman Mansour/Instagram