Bonhams is proud to present this rare painting by one of the most sought-after Palestinian artists Sliman Mansour. Mansour was born in 1947 and spent his childhood around the verdant hills and fields of Birzeit and then spent his adolescence in Bethlehem and Jerusalem. His childhood experiences left a significant mark on his work, heightening a sense of gradual loss in Palestine, notably after the occupation of the West Bank and Jerusalem in 1967. His early encounters also presented him with the symbols and images he would later use to preserve and highlight the Palestinian identity.

By using symbols derived from Palestinian life, culture, history, and tradition; Mansour uniquely illustrates Palestinians' resolve and connection with their land. His paintings epitomize art as a form of resistance. With orange trees, he represents land lost in the Nakba of 1948. With olive trees, he represents land occupied in 1967. With women wearing traditional embroidered dresses, he represents Palestinian land and the Palestinian revolution. With the landscape of Palestine and its stone terraces, he represents the mark of Palestinian farmers on the land. With images of Jerusalem, and the glistening Dome of the Rock, he represents the Palestinian homeland and the dream of return.

Mansour has showcased his artwork at exhibitions worldwide, including: the Inaugural Exhibition, Institut du Monde Arabe, Paris 1987; "Occupation and Resistance," the Other Museum, New York 1990; the Sharjah Biennial, Sharjah 1995; "Seven Palestinian Artists," Darat al Funun, Amman 1997; "Made in Palestine," the Station Museum of Contemporary Art, Houston 2003; "Art Palestine," Meem Gallery, Dubai 2011; and "Abstraction and Calligraphy — Towards a Universal Language,' Louvre Abu Dhabi in collaboration with Centre Pompidou, 2021. In 1998, Mansour received the Palestine Prize for the Visual Arts and the Grand Nile Prize At the Seventh Cairo Biennial. In 2019, he was awarded the UNESCO-Sharjah Prize for Arab Culture for his role in highlighting Palestinian and Arab cultures internationally.