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拍品專文
Sliman Mansour was born in 1947 in Birzeit, Palestine, just a year before the Nakba, which led to the mass displacement of Palestinians during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. Throughout his life, Mansour has witnessed ongoing political upheaval, including the occupation of the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Golan Heights and Sinai Peninsula, experiences that deeply shaped his artistic vision.
He began his education at the Evangelical Lutheran School in Bethlehem, where his German art teacher, Felix Theis, introduced him to European art traditions. In 1967, Mansour enrolled at the Bezalel Art Academy in West Jerusalem, studying under Yossi Stern and Joseph Hirsch, and earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1970 as one of the few Palestinian students there. After graduation, Mansour emerged as a leading figure in modern Palestinian art. Influenced by religious imagery from his childhood and the realities of life under occupation, he developed a distinctly Palestinian visual language rooted in memory, heritage and identity. In 1973, he co-founded the League of Palestinian Artists and later established the Al Wasiti Art Centre in Jerusalem (1995–1996). He also taught at Al-Quds University and helped to found the Palestinian Association for Contemporary Art (2004) and the International Academy of Art Palestine (2006) in Ramallah.
His monumental triptych Untitled, painted in 2014, powerfully captures the collective strength and perseverance of the Palestinian people. In the central panel, two women, carry a basket of oranges together, a gesture of unity and shared labour. Behind them, the sea of Jaffa evokes both serenity and the memory of a coastal homeland. On either side, harvesters bend to pick oranges from flourishing trees, their backgrounds blending seamlessly into the central scene, where the sky meets the sea in a soft, continuous horizon. Long associated with Palestine's cultural and agricultural identity, the Jaffa orange becomes here a potent symbol of rootedness and resilience. The women’s garments feature traditional Palestinian embroidery (tatreez), their intricate patterns evoking identity and cultural continuity. Through his masterful use of colour, form and symbolism, Mansour expresses the unbreakable bond between people and place, and the strength and grace that define their Palestinian experience. Together, the three panel become a vivid celebration of land, memory and collective identity.
Today, Sliman Mansour’s work is represented in major international collections, including Guggenheim Abu Dhabi; Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, Doha; Institut du Monde Arabe, Paris; Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts, Amman, and Barjeel Art Foundation, Sharjah. He continues to live and work in Jerusalem, inspiring new generations of artists dedicated to expressing the Palestinian story through art.
He began his education at the Evangelical Lutheran School in Bethlehem, where his German art teacher, Felix Theis, introduced him to European art traditions. In 1967, Mansour enrolled at the Bezalel Art Academy in West Jerusalem, studying under Yossi Stern and Joseph Hirsch, and earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1970 as one of the few Palestinian students there. After graduation, Mansour emerged as a leading figure in modern Palestinian art. Influenced by religious imagery from his childhood and the realities of life under occupation, he developed a distinctly Palestinian visual language rooted in memory, heritage and identity. In 1973, he co-founded the League of Palestinian Artists and later established the Al Wasiti Art Centre in Jerusalem (1995–1996). He also taught at Al-Quds University and helped to found the Palestinian Association for Contemporary Art (2004) and the International Academy of Art Palestine (2006) in Ramallah.
His monumental triptych Untitled, painted in 2014, powerfully captures the collective strength and perseverance of the Palestinian people. In the central panel, two women, carry a basket of oranges together, a gesture of unity and shared labour. Behind them, the sea of Jaffa evokes both serenity and the memory of a coastal homeland. On either side, harvesters bend to pick oranges from flourishing trees, their backgrounds blending seamlessly into the central scene, where the sky meets the sea in a soft, continuous horizon. Long associated with Palestine's cultural and agricultural identity, the Jaffa orange becomes here a potent symbol of rootedness and resilience. The women’s garments feature traditional Palestinian embroidery (tatreez), their intricate patterns evoking identity and cultural continuity. Through his masterful use of colour, form and symbolism, Mansour expresses the unbreakable bond between people and place, and the strength and grace that define their Palestinian experience. Together, the three panel become a vivid celebration of land, memory and collective identity.
Today, Sliman Mansour’s work is represented in major international collections, including Guggenheim Abu Dhabi; Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, Doha; Institut du Monde Arabe, Paris; Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts, Amman, and Barjeel Art Foundation, Sharjah. He continues to live and work in Jerusalem, inspiring new generations of artists dedicated to expressing the Palestinian story through art.