I Ismael, mud on wood, 6- 78 1/2" x 31 1/2", 1997

Suleiman Mansour is a major figure in Palestinian art. He creates "emblems of decay" that are "dry, cracked and distorted," reminding us of dispersion, waste, pain and death. Ismael, son of Abraham and Hagar, the subject of his masterpiece, is the revered ancestor of the Arab people. Below the figures on a broken slab are roses symbolic of the martyrs killed during the current uprising in defense of their homes.

Suleiman Mansour
Born 1947 in Birzeit, Palestine.
Education. Studied Fine Art at Bezallel Academy in Jerusalem
Lives in Jerusalem