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Sliman Mansour Dies at 79

His imagery and use of local materials helped define Palestinian visual identity while his family said funeral plans will be announced later.

Overview

  • Mansour’s family announced his death on Monday, August 24, after an earlier family post that said he was in critical condition.
  • The family made the announcement on the artist’s verified Instagram account and did not disclose a cause of death.
  • Mansour’s best-known work, Jamal Al Mahamel or “Camel of Hardship,” became a pervasive symbol of Palestinian sumud, or steadfastness.
  • During the First Intifada he co-founded the New Visions collective that rejected Israeli art supplies and used local materials such as mud and henna to tie technique to place.
  • Beyond his paintings, Mansour co-founded Al‑Wasiti Art Centre, helped found the International Academy of Art Palestine, taught at Al Quds University, continued to work after a 2021 stroke, and has drawn wide tributes across the region.