Renowned Palestinian artist Sliman Mansour, a leading figure in contemporary Palestinian visual art, has died at the age of 79 in Jerusalem.
Mansour died on August 24, with his family confirming his death through his official Instagram account. He had reportedly been in critical condition in the days before his death. No cause of death has been publicly disclosed.
For more than five decades, Mansour used art to portray Palestinian identity, history, displacement and attachment to the land. His paintings frequently featured olive trees, rural landscapes, traditional Palestinian clothing and embroidery, helping establish a distinctive visual language closely associated with Palestinian cultural heritage.
His most famous work, Jamal Al-Mahamel (Camel of Burdens), was painted in 1973. The painting depicts an elderly Palestinian porter carrying Jerusalem on his back and became one of the most recognisable images of Palestinian art. It has widely been interpreted as a symbol of the burden of history and the enduring connection between Palestinians and their homeland.
Mansour was also instrumental in the development of Palestinian art during the First Intifada. In 1987, he co-founded the New Visions Collective, a group of Palestinian artists that boycotted Israeli art supplies and experimented with locally available materials, including mud, henna and clay.
Beyond painting, Mansour helped strengthen Palestinian cultural institutions. He co-founded the Al-Wasiti Art Centre in East Jerusalem and served on the board of the International Academy of Art Palestine in Ramallah.
His work became strongly associated with sumud, the Palestinian concept of steadfastness and resilience. Through his art, Mansour sought to preserve collective memory and affirm Palestinian cultural identity.
His death represents a significant loss for Palestinian culture and the wider art world. Yet his imagery and artistic legacy are expected to endure, continuing to serve as powerful expressions of Palestinian memory, identity and resilience.