Funeral held for renowned Palestinian artist Sliman Mansour

Mansour was born in the village of Birzeit in British Mandate Palestine in 1947 – a year before the State of Israel was established, and the advent of the first Arab-Israeli war. During the conflict, more than 700,000 Palestinians were expelled from their homes or fled in what is known as the Nakba, “the Catastrophe”.

As a young man, Mansour studied fine art in Jerusalem but went on to develop his own distinctive style. He has spoken of how Palestinian artists lived in a “cultural ghetto” and how he was influenced by a book showing works of the Mexican painter Diego Rivera.

Over time, Mansour contributed to creating a local artistic movement, as co-founder of the League of Palestinian Artists and the International Academy of Art and helping to set up local art galleries.

As well as his paintings on canvas, Mansour created cartoons, children’s illustrations and wrote books. Many remember him as an inspiring art teacher.

His works are held in private collections and at major international institutions including the Guggenheim Museum in Abu Dhabi, the Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art in Doha, the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris, and the British Museum in London.

However, unlike many artists, Mansour was also strongly in favour of his paintings being reproduced as prints, making them more accessible and adding to their wide appreciation.