Sliman Mansour, one of the most influential figures in modern Palestinian art whose works became enduring symbols of Palestinian identity, memory and resistance, has died in occupied East Jerusalem at the age of 79.
The renowned painter, sculptor, writer and cartoonist died at Al-Makassed Hospital in East Jerusalem, where he had been receiving treatment.
Born in 1947 in the town of Birzeit near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, Mansour devoted much of his career to portraying Palestinians' connection to their homeland and preserving their history and collective memory through art.
His work drew heavily on symbols rooted in Palestinian culture, history and tradition, depicting village life, Palestinian women and traditional embroidery alongside recurring images of the land.
Mansour viewed art as a form of resistance. In a 2024 interview with Anadolu Agency (AA), he said he sought through his work to demonstrate Palestinians' attachment to their land, their determination to protect it and the beauty of Palestine.
“Jerusalem is the symbol of Palestine, and the Dome of the Rock is the symbol of Jerusalem,” he said.
Among Mansour's best-known works is his 1973 painting “The Camel of Hardships,” which depicts an elderly Palestinian man bent beneath an enormous burden containing the city of Jerusalem.
The internationally recognized work, which became both an artistic and national icon, depicts the burden in the shape of a large eye, with the Dome of the Rock visible within it.
Mansour frequently personified Palestine as a weary and solitary elderly man. His visual vocabulary also included the orange tree as a symbol of the 1948 Nakba, or catastrophe, and the olive tree representing the 1967 war, alongside Palestinian embroidery, rural life and women.
Through these recurring images, Mansour helped shape the visual identity of Palestinian resistance, using art as a means of preserving memory and conveying the Palestinian cause to audiences around the world.
Beginning in the 1970s, his work played an influential role in developing visual symbols associated with the Palestinian struggle.
Mansour studied fine arts at the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem and also worked professionally as a cartoonist.
Over his decadeslong career, he received numerous local and international honors, including the Rome Prize, a UNESCO award, the Nile Award for Arab Creators and the Palestine Prize for Plastic Arts.
Beyond his own artistic practice, Mansour taught art at several cultural institutions and universities in the occupied West Bank, including Al-Quds University, helping educate subsequent generations of Palestinian artists.
His body of work leaves a lasting record of Palestinian life, displacement and attachment to the land, establishing Mansour as one of the defining figures of modern Palestinian art.
