Ibrahim Ghannam (1930-1984), was born in Yajur near Haifa. In 1948 his family fled Yajur and settled in Tel-Zaatar refugee camp in Beirut. He started to paint since he was 17 years old until his death. He is considered one of the founders of the Palestinian plastic art movement. His work focused on the daily life of the Palestinian people and Palestine before the Nakba. He painted vivid scenes of rural Palestine with bright colours using as composition festive panoramic views of harvest and olive-picking scenes, wedding and circumcision ceremonies.

His paintings showed Palestine as an idealized Paradise lost. He became with the years an emblem of resistance. The three main themes he presented in his artwork were: the road to exile, the armed struggle and the nostalgic images of the lost homeland.

He was a founding member of the General Union of Palestinian artists foundation, and the General Federation of Arab Artists foundation.

During the invasion of Lebanon in 1982, the Israeli army seized some of his paintings from one of the exhibits of Beirut. Other paintings of his were also lost in Kuwait during the Iraqi invasion.

He is the subject of Adnan Mdanat’s 1977 documentary film Palestinian Visions.

 Ibrahim Ghannam

Ibrahim Ghannam´s Work

Source:

– From the book Palestinian Art by Gannit Ankori

– http://www.palestineposterproject.org

Further readings:

– Review: Gannit Ankori’s “Palestinian Art”

http://electronicintifada.net/content/review-gannit-ankoris-palestinian-art/3556