Renowned Palestinian Artist Sliman Mansour in Critical Condition, Family Announces

Palestinian artist Sliman Mansour is currently in critical condition, according to an announcement made by his family on Monday. In a statement shared by one of his children on the 79-year-old painter’s verified Instagram account, loved ones requested thoughts and prayers from the public.

“My father, Sliman Mansour, is currently in critical condition,” the message stated. “We ask everyone who knows and loves him to please keep him in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. Your prayers and support mean so much to our family.”

No further details regarding his condition were provided. Born in Birzeit in the West Bank in 1947, Mansour has remained a central figure in Palestinian art for more than five decades, helping to define a visual language centered on identity, land, displacement, and occupation.

He is widely celebrated for his iconic painting Jamal Al Mahamel, also known as Camel of Hardship, which depicts an elderly Palestinian porter carrying the city of Jerusalem on his back.

Mansour co-founded the League of Palestinian Artists, serving as its head from 1986 to 1990, and later formed the New Visions collective alongside Vera Tamari, Tayseer Barakat, and Nabil Anani during the First Intifada, utilizing local materials such as mud and henna in response to boycotts of Israeli art supplies.

In a 2023 interview with The National, Mansour shared that a stroke two years prior had impacted his left hand and concentration, though he continued visiting his Ramallah studio daily to read and sketch.