Palestinians bid farewell to artist Sliman Mansour, chronicler of homeland

Mourners gathered in the West Bank town of Birzeit on Wednesday to bid farewell to Sliman Mansour, the acclaimed Palestinian artist who died in Jerusalem two days earlier at the age of 79.

A funeral procession, accompanied by a scout band and Christian clergy, wound through the streets as family, friends and admirers carried his flower-draped coffin. One mourner was seen recording the procession on her phone, a sign of the deep personal connection many felt to the artist.

Mansour was a painter, sculptor, writer and cartoonist whose work focused on Palestinian landscapes, rural life and the experience of living under occupation. His images of men in keffiyehs, women in embroidered dresses, olive groves and the holy sites of Jerusalem became widely recognised symbols of Palestinian identity and heritage.

Amer Shomali, director of the Palestinian Museum, described Mansour's death as a great loss for the Palestinian people, artists and museums alike. He noted that Mansour's work felt close, familiar and intimate to people, and that the artist was pivotal in shaping the Palestinian art movement over nearly eight decades.

Writer Rana Anani, director of the Khalil Sakakini Cultural Center, has documented Mansour's personal life in a book. She said she wanted to highlight his difficult journey from childhood to becoming an artist, as well as life in Birzeit and the Palestinian countryside, which she said is rarely covered in memoirs. Anani added that many young artists today continue to draw inspiration from Mansour's work.

Mansour's paintings have been exhibited worldwide, and his legacy is preserved at institutions such as the Palestinian Museum, where several of his works remain on display.