Palestinian artist Sliman Mansour dies aged 79

Sliman Mansour, one of the leading figures in contemporary Palestinian art, has died aged 79. In a post to Mansour's Instagram account, his family annouced his death, writing: “The final chapter has been written. With hearts heavy beyond words, we share that our beloved father has passed away. “To the world, he leaves behind a life filled with beauty, memory, and a legacy that will continue to live through all those he touched. But to us, we lost a father, our source of love, strength and home,” they wrote. Born in Birzeit, near Ramallah, in 1947, Mansour graduated from the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem in 1970, and became a prominent figure in Palestinian art for more than five decades. In 1994, he co-founded Al-Wasiti Art Centre in East Jerusalem, established to preserve Palestinian art and connect artists living in Palestine with those in exile and later joined the founding board of the International Academy of Art Palestine in Ramallah. His work helped to shape a visual language for Palestinian identity, drawing repeatedly on the land and experiences of displacement and occupation, often using traditional embroidery and olive trees in his depictions. A member of staff walks past Untitled by Sliman Mansour at an exhibition in London on 31 October 2025 (Thomas Krych/Zuma Press Wire/Reuters)