Palestinian art
Encyclopedia
Palestinian art is a term used to refer to painting
s, poster
s, installation art
and other visual media produced by Palestinian artists.
While the term has also been used to refer to ancient art produced in the geographical region of Palestine
, in its modern usage it generally refers to work of contemporary Palestinian artists.
Similar to the structure of Palestinian society, the Palestinian art field extends over four main geographic centers: the West Bank
and Gaza Strip
; Israel
; the Palestinian diaspora in the Arab world
; and the Palestinian diaspora in Europe
and the United States
.
Contemporary Palestinian art finds its roots in folk art
and traditional Christian
and Islamic painting popular in Palestine over the ages. After the Nakba
of 1948, nationalistic themes have predominated as Palestinian artists use diverse media to express and explore their connection to identity and land.
describes "place" as one of the major thematic components of Palestinian art throughout its history. Proximity and distance from the historical Palestinian homeland and the relationship between the artist and his current place of residence is the key element moving Palestinian art. For example, in art produced during the first decades following 1948, works created by Palestinian artists living in places within the region of their country of birth with largely figurative, whereas those created by artist living furthest from it were largely abstract. This reflects how the idea of a Palestinian homeland is more abstract to the distant exile or refugee and more figurative or concrete for the artist still dwelling there or nearby.
Before 1948, Jerusalem occupied was the key place explored by Palestinian artists reflecting its spiritual and cultural importance to the Palestinian polity. However, after 1948, the dispersal of Palestinians, large scale ethnic cleansing from their homeland, and new conception of identity changed the idea of place so that there was no central hub of Palestinian art.
After 1948, memory of place and distance from homeland became a central theme in Palestinian art. Even among Palestinian artist who were born and raised in Israel explored their own alienation of growing up as foreigners within the geographical land of their ancestors. Each sought to explore the question of cultural memory and articulate his or her sense of belonging to the same homeland and to a common culture.
After 1948, politics became a lot more blatant in Palestinian art. Beginning with Ismail Shammout
, Naji al-ali
, Mustafa al-Hallaj
and Paul Guiragossian
directly tackled the painful memories of the Nabka with works showing massacres, refugees, and clear political themes. Others such as Sophia Halaby, Ibrahim Ghannam
, and Juliana Seraphim focused more subtly on questions of identity including Palestinian cultural traditions, physical geography, and (especially case of Juliana Seraphim and others, surrealistic look at memories of childhood reverie.
is often symbolized by keys and doors as is in Naj al'Ali's political cartoons. Likewise the Cactus Tree plays a prominent symbolic role in Palestinian art representing national dispossession.
Nicolas Saig, one of the earliest Palestinian artists to break from the Christian icon tradition, painted works of the prickly pear cactus to break into secular art by capturing one of the most common pleasures of the era. The prickily pear still lives served as some of the most important early secular works of the period . The cactus also had become a symbol of Palestinian defiance and sumud. Villagers had already taken the symbol and incorporated it into a dance song protesting the 1917 Balfour Declaration with the phrase "Ya'ayn kuni subbara - O eye, be a cactus tree!". From that point on artist, especially 'Asim Abu Shaqra, took the symbol of the cactus as a representation of Palestinian sumud
and sabr or perseverance against dispossession by the Israeli state and as a metaphor for the connection of Palestinians to the land.
These characteristics lead Zvi to conclude that unlike sovereign
nation-states where the art field is based on "national borders, national museums and institutes of learning, the Palestinian art field is based chiefly on artists operating within the frame of a Palestinian identity."
, born in 1942 in Haifa, is a pioneer in the Arab Israeli art movement. Ahlam Shibli
, Sami Bukhari, Reida Adon, Ashraf Fawakhry, Ahlam Jomah, Jumana Emil Abboud, and Anisa Ashkar are Palestinian artists - most of whom are graduates from art schools in Israel and form part of an entire generation of Palestinians, citizens of Israel
born after 1967. The issue of identity for Palestinian citizens of Israel is a key subject of importance to the artwork produced. It is an identity described by Azmi Bishara
thus:
Ben Zvi suggests that this definition pinpoints the dialectic underpinning the identity of this group of artists who are identified "on the one hand, as part of a broad Palestinian cultural system, and on the other — in a differentiated manner — as the Palestinian minority in Israel."
Palestinian artists in Israel face a number of challenges. Art institutions in Israel, for example, are attended by a maximum of three Palestinian students per year. Palestinian artists are forced to develop their artistic modes of expression in Hebrew
, rather than their mother tongue of Arabic
. The artists' Arab
or Palestinian culture is not part of the curricula, and is effectively excluded, since the cultural and artistic context is a Western and Israeli one. Further, the Israeli art field as a national field generally perceives the Arab Palestinian artist as foreign to the local culture, and "ultimately prevents his representation as an immanent part of the field."
and Jordan
, Palestinian artists in the Arab world were among the first to put forward a vision of Palestinian contemporary art. As the Palestinian Authority became more central to Palestinian nationalism
, their number and influence in the Palestinian art field has decreased, and diasporic Palestinian artists in Europe and the United States, have become increasingly prominent.
One such artist whose works were exhibited in the Made in Palestine exhibit that toured the United States in 2005 is Mustafa Al-Hallaj
.
Born in what is now Israel, Al-Hallaj is known throughout the Arab world, where he has been described as "Syria's most famous artist" and an "icon of contemporary Arab graphic arts." Al Hallaj died in 2002 in a fire at his home while trying to save his artwork but this effort which cost him his life, meant that some of his work has survived.
In Self-Portrait as God, the Devil, and Man, Al-Hallaj uses rows of overlapping images and intricate etchings that took 10 years to complete to present "an epic retelling of the history of Palestinians from the 11th century B.C. to the present."
in 2005. Al Hoash has exhibited works of, among others, Sophie Halaby, Hassan Hourani, Vera Tamari and Suleiman Mansour.
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
s, poster
Poster
A poster is any piece of printed paper designed to be attached to a wall or vertical surface. Typically posters include both textual and graphic elements, although a poster may be either wholly graphical or wholly text. Posters are designed to be both eye-catching and informative. Posters may be...
s, installation art
Installation art
Installation art describes an artistic genre of three-dimensional works that are often site-specific and designed to transform the perception of a space. Generally, the term is applied to interior spaces, whereas exterior interventions are often called Land art; however, the boundaries between...
and other visual media produced by Palestinian artists.
While the term has also been used to refer to ancient art produced in the geographical region of Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
, in its modern usage it generally refers to work of contemporary Palestinian artists.
Similar to the structure of Palestinian society, the Palestinian art field extends over four main geographic centers: the West Bank
West Bank
The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...
and Gaza Strip
Gaza Strip
thumb|Gaza city skylineThe Gaza Strip lies on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The Strip borders Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometres wide, with a total area of...
; Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
; the Palestinian diaspora in the Arab world
Arab world
The Arab world refers to Arabic-speaking states, territories and populations in North Africa, Western Asia and elsewhere.The standard definition of the Arab world comprises the 22 states and territories of the Arab League stretching from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Arabian Sea in the...
; and the Palestinian diaspora in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Contemporary Palestinian art finds its roots in folk art
Folk art
Folk art encompasses art produced from an indigenous culture or by peasants or other laboring tradespeople. In contrast to fine art, folk art is primarily utilitarian and decorative rather than purely aesthetic....
and traditional Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
and Islamic painting popular in Palestine over the ages. After the Nakba
Nakba Day
Nakba Day is generally commemorated on May 15, the day after the Gregorian calendar date for Israeli independence day...
of 1948, nationalistic themes have predominated as Palestinian artists use diverse media to express and explore their connection to identity and land.
Place
Palestinian artist and art historian Kamal BoullataKamal Boullata
Kamal Boullata is a Palestinian artist and art historian. His works are primarily done in acrylic and abstract in style focusing on the ideas of division in Palestinian identity, separation from homeland through utilization geometric forms as well as integration of Arabic words and...
describes "place" as one of the major thematic components of Palestinian art throughout its history. Proximity and distance from the historical Palestinian homeland and the relationship between the artist and his current place of residence is the key element moving Palestinian art. For example, in art produced during the first decades following 1948, works created by Palestinian artists living in places within the region of their country of birth with largely figurative, whereas those created by artist living furthest from it were largely abstract. This reflects how the idea of a Palestinian homeland is more abstract to the distant exile or refugee and more figurative or concrete for the artist still dwelling there or nearby.
Before 1948, Jerusalem occupied was the key place explored by Palestinian artists reflecting its spiritual and cultural importance to the Palestinian polity. However, after 1948, the dispersal of Palestinians, large scale ethnic cleansing from their homeland, and new conception of identity changed the idea of place so that there was no central hub of Palestinian art.
After 1948, memory of place and distance from homeland became a central theme in Palestinian art. Even among Palestinian artist who were born and raised in Israel explored their own alienation of growing up as foreigners within the geographical land of their ancestors. Each sought to explore the question of cultural memory and articulate his or her sense of belonging to the same homeland and to a common culture.
Politics
Palestinian art - from the early religious paintings of the 19th century to completely abstract works created today also tend to explore a common focus on the idea of resistance and the political backdrop of the Palestinian issue. The Palestinian identity itself is often dismissed by Zionist groups as being indistinct from Arab or Islamic identity thus the act of making art itself and claiming identity is at times a form of protest Even during the colonialism, struggle with Ottoman or British forces played a key role in Palestinian art One of the earliest artist to add a political dimension to his works was Nicola Saig (1863-1942). While most of the art at the time tended to explore religious themes and non-controversial issues (so as to not offend conservative patrons or ire the British authorities00 Saig managed to give his works a striking political dimension. For instance, his work Caliph Umar at Jerusalem Gates c. 1920 seems to just recount a popular religious legend about the Caliph Umar bloodlessly taking over Jerusalem and ushering centuries of peace between the local Christian and Jewish populations. However, upon closer look, the subject matter and the Christ-like stature given to the Caliph in the painting jab at what many Palestinians saw as divisive policies of the British during the Mandate Period which attempted to create friction between Muslims and Christian Arabs.After 1948, politics became a lot more blatant in Palestinian art. Beginning with Ismail Shammout
Ismail Shammout
-Biography:Shammout was born in 1930 in Lydda. On July 12, 1948, he and his family were amongst 25,000 residents of Lydda expelled from their homes by Israeli soldiers. The Shammout family moved to the Gaza refugee camp of Khan-Younes. In 1950 Shammout went to Cairo and enrolled in the College of...
, Naji al-ali
Naji al-Ali
Naji Salim al-Ali was a Palestinian cartoonist, noted for the political criticism of Israel in his works.He drew over 40,000 cartoons, which often reflected Palestinian and Arab public opinion and were sharply critical commentaries on Palestinian and Arab politics and political leaders...
, Mustafa al-Hallaj
Mustafa Al-Hallaj
Mustafa al-Hallaj was born in Salama in the Jaffa region of British Mandate Palestine.Al-Hallaj was a pioneer in the Arab art world, known as an "icon of contemporary Arab graphic arts"...
and Paul Guiragossian
Paul Guiragossian
Paul Guiragossian was an Armenian painter.-Career:Paul Guiragossian, the famous Armenian painter was born in Jerusalem in 1926 and settled in Beirut with his family in 1939 becoming a Lebanese citizen. He started to paint in 1942 at the Yarkon Studio. In 1957, he received a scholarship to study at...
directly tackled the painful memories of the Nabka with works showing massacres, refugees, and clear political themes. Others such as Sophia Halaby, Ibrahim Ghannam
Ibrahim Ghannam
Ibrahim Hassan Kheite , better known by the artistic name, Ibrahim Ghannam, was an artist considered to be one of the founders of the Palestinian plastic art movement. His paintings focused on describing the daily life of the Palestinian people in his country before the Nakba...
, and Juliana Seraphim focused more subtly on questions of identity including Palestinian cultural traditions, physical geography, and (especially case of Juliana Seraphim and others, surrealistic look at memories of childhood reverie.
Symbolism
Palestinian art employs a number of key iconic symbols that reflect the cultural and political dimensions of art. For instance, the political issue of the Right of ReturnRight of return
The term right of return refers to a principle of international law, codified in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, giving any person the right to return to, and re-enter, his or her country of origin...
is often symbolized by keys and doors as is in Naj al'Ali's political cartoons. Likewise the Cactus Tree plays a prominent symbolic role in Palestinian art representing national dispossession.
Cactus in Palestinian Art
The Cactus Tree is a controversial and loaded subject in Palestinian art every since the birth of Israel. Israeli Jews raised the indigenous plant to the status of a national symbol while Palestinians saw it as an incarnation of their national dispossession. Both Israeli and Palestinian artist helped to inform and shape the Cactus Tree as a symbolic artistic symbol for the region. The earliest photographs of Palestine from the 19th and 20th century show cactus hedges dotting the landscape . The plant served the practical function to designate territorial borders in peasant villages. In summer, the prickly pear was a common fruit eaten by people in the region. During the 1920s, the thorny tree was the main element most Jewish settlers from Europe used to represent their new exotic home and eventually became incorporated as a major symbol of Israeli identity.Nicolas Saig, one of the earliest Palestinian artists to break from the Christian icon tradition, painted works of the prickly pear cactus to break into secular art by capturing one of the most common pleasures of the era. The prickily pear still lives served as some of the most important early secular works of the period . The cactus also had become a symbol of Palestinian defiance and sumud. Villagers had already taken the symbol and incorporated it into a dance song protesting the 1917 Balfour Declaration with the phrase "Ya'ayn kuni subbara - O eye, be a cactus tree!". From that point on artist, especially 'Asim Abu Shaqra, took the symbol of the cactus as a representation of Palestinian sumud
Sumud
Sumud meaning "steadfastness" or "steadfast perseverance" is an ideological theme and political strategy that first emerged among the Palestinian people through the experience of the dialectic of oppression and resistance in the wake of the Six-day war...
and sabr or perseverance against dispossession by the Israeli state and as a metaphor for the connection of Palestinians to the land.
Pre 1948
Most Palestinian artists during this time were self-taught, painting landscapes and religious scenes in imitation of the European style, but overall the discipline was not very developed and art exhibitions were almost unheard of. Notable artists of this era include Khalil Halaby, Nahil Bishara, Sophie Halaby and Faddoul Odeh. Sophie Halaby was an exception, in that she was educated in France where she lived and worked for years. Jamal Badran (1909–1999) was a leading artist in the Islamic style.Post 1948
The contemporary Palestinian art field has been characterized by Tal Ben Zvi as consisting of three major elements:- Palestinian artists residing in four separate geographical territories who sustain a differentiated national cultural field despite the geographic differences;
- The absence of 'Palestinian' institutions of art studies and training throughout the world, including the Palestinian Authority;
- The absence of a historical museum infrastructure.
These characteristics lead Zvi to conclude that unlike sovereign
Sovereign
A sovereign is the supreme lawmaking authority within its jurisdiction.Sovereign may also refer to:*Monarch, the sovereign of a monarchy*Sovereign Bank, banking institution in the United States*Sovereign...
nation-states where the art field is based on "national borders, national museums and institutes of learning, the Palestinian art field is based chiefly on artists operating within the frame of a Palestinian identity."
Palestinian artists in Israel
Abed AbdiAbed Abdi
Abed Abdi is an Arab Israeli painter, graphic designer, sculpturer and lecturer of the arts.Abdi worked as a blacksmith and illustrated Arabic publications that appeared in Israel. After studying in Dresden, Abdi became the first Palestinian to build monumental art on native soil...
, born in 1942 in Haifa, is a pioneer in the Arab Israeli art movement. Ahlam Shibli
Ahlam Shibli
Ahlam Shibli is a Palestinian artist who was born in Palestine Shibli's work explores the everyday life of the Palestinian population. Adrian Searle describes her work as "unsentimental and undramatic...extremely moving."...
, Sami Bukhari, Reida Adon, Ashraf Fawakhry, Ahlam Jomah, Jumana Emil Abboud, and Anisa Ashkar are Palestinian artists - most of whom are graduates from art schools in Israel and form part of an entire generation of Palestinians, citizens of Israel
Arab citizens of Israel
Arab citizens of Israel refers to citizens of Israel who are not Jewish, and whose cultural and linguistic heritage or ethnic identity is Arab....
born after 1967. The issue of identity for Palestinian citizens of Israel is a key subject of importance to the artwork produced. It is an identity described by Azmi Bishara
Azmi Bishara
Azmi Bishara , a former member of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, is a Palestinian intellectual, academic, politician, and writer.In 2007, Bishara fled Israel and resigned from the Knesset after being questioned by police on suspicion of aiding and passing information to the enemy during...
thus:
From both the historical and theoretical perspectives, the Arabs in Israel are part of the Palestinian Arab people. Their definition as 'Israeli Arabs' was formed concurrent with the emergence of the issue of the Palestinian refugees, and the establishment of the State of Israel on the ruins of the Palestinian people. Thus, the point of departure from which the history of the Palestinians in Israel is written is the very point in which the history of the Palestinians outside Israel was created. One cannot point at a nationality or national group called 'Israeli Arabs' or 'the Arabs of Israel'.
Ben Zvi suggests that this definition pinpoints the dialectic underpinning the identity of this group of artists who are identified "on the one hand, as part of a broad Palestinian cultural system, and on the other — in a differentiated manner — as the Palestinian minority in Israel."
Palestinian artists in Israel face a number of challenges. Art institutions in Israel, for example, are attended by a maximum of three Palestinian students per year. Palestinian artists are forced to develop their artistic modes of expression in Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
, rather than their mother tongue of Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
. The artists' Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
or Palestinian culture is not part of the curricula, and is effectively excluded, since the cultural and artistic context is a Western and Israeli one. Further, the Israeli art field as a national field generally perceives the Arab Palestinian artist as foreign to the local culture, and "ultimately prevents his representation as an immanent part of the field."
Palestinian artists in the Arab world
Originating from the Palestinian culture that crystallized in the refugee camps mainly in LebanonLebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
and Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
, Palestinian artists in the Arab world were among the first to put forward a vision of Palestinian contemporary art. As the Palestinian Authority became more central to Palestinian nationalism
Palestinian nationalism
Palestinian nationalism is the national movement of the Palestinian people. It has roots in Pan-Arabism and other movements rejecting colonialism and calling for national independence. More recently, Palestinian Nationalism is expressed through the Israeli–Palestinian conflict...
, their number and influence in the Palestinian art field has decreased, and diasporic Palestinian artists in Europe and the United States, have become increasingly prominent.
One such artist whose works were exhibited in the Made in Palestine exhibit that toured the United States in 2005 is Mustafa Al-Hallaj
Mustafa Al-Hallaj
Mustafa al-Hallaj was born in Salama in the Jaffa region of British Mandate Palestine.Al-Hallaj was a pioneer in the Arab art world, known as an "icon of contemporary Arab graphic arts"...
.
Born in what is now Israel, Al-Hallaj is known throughout the Arab world, where he has been described as "Syria's most famous artist" and an "icon of contemporary Arab graphic arts." Al Hallaj died in 2002 in a fire at his home while trying to save his artwork but this effort which cost him his life, meant that some of his work has survived.
In Self-Portrait as God, the Devil, and Man, Al-Hallaj uses rows of overlapping images and intricate etchings that took 10 years to complete to present "an epic retelling of the history of Palestinians from the 11th century B.C. to the present."
Collections
The Palestinian Art Court – Al Hoash, was founded in 2004, and opened its first gallery in East JerusalemEast Jerusalem
East Jerusalem or Eastern Jerusalem refer to the parts of Jerusalem captured and annexed by Jordan in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and then captured and annexed by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War...
in 2005. Al Hoash has exhibited works of, among others, Sophie Halaby, Hassan Hourani, Vera Tamari and Suleiman Mansour.
Notable artists
- Abed AbdiAbed AbdiAbed Abdi is an Arab Israeli painter, graphic designer, sculpturer and lecturer of the arts.Abdi worked as a blacksmith and illustrated Arabic publications that appeared in Israel. After studying in Dresden, Abdi became the first Palestinian to build monumental art on native soil...
- Naji Al-AliNaji al-AliNaji Salim al-Ali was a Palestinian cartoonist, noted for the political criticism of Israel in his works.He drew over 40,000 cartoons, which often reflected Palestinian and Arab public opinion and were sharply critical commentaries on Palestinian and Arab politics and political leaders...
- Kamal BoullataKamal BoullataKamal Boullata is a Palestinian artist and art historian. His works are primarily done in acrylic and abstract in style focusing on the ideas of division in Palestinian identity, separation from homeland through utilization geometric forms as well as integration of Arabic words and...
- Nasr Abdel Aziz EleyanNasr Abdel Aziz EleyanNasr Abdel Aziz Eleyan is a Palestinian artist and television interior designer/producer. He was born in the former village of az-Zakariyya, located north of Hebron in the former British Mandate of Palestine...
- Ibrahim GhannamIbrahim GhannamIbrahim Hassan Kheite , better known by the artistic name, Ibrahim Ghannam, was an artist considered to be one of the founders of the Palestinian plastic art movement. His paintings focused on describing the daily life of the Palestinian people in his country before the Nakba...
- Mustafa Al-HallajMustafa Al-HallajMustafa al-Hallaj was born in Salama in the Jaffa region of British Mandate Palestine.Al-Hallaj was a pioneer in the Arab art world, known as an "icon of contemporary Arab graphic arts"...
- Hasan HouraniHasan HouraniHasan Hourani was a Palestinian artist, born in Hebron. He attended the College of Fine Art in Baghdad, Iraq from 1993-97. In 2001 he arrived in New York and presented his one-man show "One Day, One Night" in the UN building. He then studied at the Art Student's League of New York and continued...
- Mona HatoumMona HatoumMona Hatoum is a video artist and installation artist of Palestinian origin, who lives in London.- Lebanon :...
- Emily JacirEmily JacirEmily Jacir is a Palestinian artist. Born in Bethlehem, Jacir spent her childhood in Saudi Arabia, attending high school in Italy. She divides her time between New York and Ramallah....
- Sari Ibrahim KhourySari Ibrahim KhourySari Ibrahim Khoury was an American visual artist originally from Jerusalem. He primarily worked in abstract modes in acrylic, oil and charcoal.-Early life:Sari Ibrahim Khoury was born in Jerusalem, Mandate Palestine in 1941...
- Bissan RafeBissan RafeBissan Rafe Qasrawi is an American-Palestinian visual artist.She lives in Houston, Texas. Many of her work depicts the lives of Palestinian diaspora.She exhibited her work at various local Houston galleries and biennials...
- Sliman MansourSliman MansourSliman Mansour , is a Palestinian painter, considered an important figure among contemporary Palestinian artists. Mansour is considered an artist of the intifada whose work gave visual expression to the cultural concept of sumud....
- Ismail ShammoutIsmail Shammout-Biography:Shammout was born in 1930 in Lydda. On July 12, 1948, he and his family were amongst 25,000 residents of Lydda expelled from their homes by Israeli soldiers. The Shammout family moved to the Gaza refugee camp of Khan-Younes. In 1950 Shammout went to Cairo and enrolled in the College of...
- Sharif WakedSharif WakedSharif Waked is a Palestinian visual artist.Sharif Waked, a painter, graphic designer and children's books illustrator was born 1964, in Nazareth, to a Palestinian refugee family from the village of Mjedil. He lives and works in Haifa/Nazareth...
- Hisham ZreiqHisham ZreiqHisham Zreiq , also spelled Zrake, is an award-winning Palestinian Christian Independent film maker, poet and visual artist. He began working in computer art in 1994, and in 1996 started exhibiting his work in galleries and museums....
Further reading
- Boullata, KamalKamal BoullataKamal Boullata is a Palestinian artist and art historian. His works are primarily done in acrylic and abstract in style focusing on the ideas of division in Palestinian identity, separation from homeland through utilization geometric forms as well as integration of Arabic words and...
(2009): Palestinian Art: From 1850 to the Present ISBN 0863566480
External links
- Palestinian Performing Arts: News and Reviews at IMEU.net
- Palestinian Visual Arts: News and Reviews at IMEU.net
- Hagar Art Galley
- Palestinian Art at Palestine-art.com
- Palestinian Art Court at Al Hoash Gallery, an independent non-profit organization, officially registered in 2004 to form a core for a future Palestinian National gallery in Jerusalem.
- The Al Jisser group