Personal Info
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Information
Bahaa El-Din Bukhari (1944-2015) was a Palestinian artist and media figure . He was born in Jerusalem and was displaced with his family to Syria after the Palestinian Nakba in 1949. He obtained his high school diploma in Damascus in 1963. In 1962, Bukhari’s talent was discovered by the Syrian media figure Muhammad Khalid Qatma, the editor-in-chief of the Damascus newspaper Al-Ayyam at the time. He adopted a series of illustrated stories, both in concept and composition, when he was eighteen years old. His first launch was in the Damascus newspaper Al-Ayyam in 1962.
He then moved to Kuwait and worked as a cartoonist for the Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Rai between 1964 and 1980, and then for the Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Anbaa from 1981 to 1988, creating cartoons under the title "Abu Arab." He was a colleague of the late, great Naji al-Ali, and they worked together in Kuwaiti journalism. He then moved to Tunisia and lived there from 1989 to 1994, contributing articles to Tunisian and Libyan newspapers. Afterward, he worked for the Al-Quds newspaper from 1994 to 1999, and then for the Al-Ayyam newspaper until his death.
He is the author , director and illustrator of the Kuwaiti children's magazine "Saad" during the years 1970-1980, and the creator of the Kuwaiti children's program characters " Open Sesame " Naaman and Melson. He designed and produced all the artistic materials for the amusement park in Kuwait, which is considered one of the most important historical landmarks for children at the time, and which was opened in 1983, as a parallel version to Disney World in the United States.
He was a member of several institutions, including: the Union of Palestinian Artists, the General Union of Palestinian Writers and Authors , the Union of Arab Writers and Journalists , the Arab Cartoonists Association, and the Union of Writers and Cartoonists in the United States of America.
He died in Ramallah on Friday, October 29, 2015, and was buried there. In commemoration of his passing, a book of cartoons titled "The Language of Freedom – Bahaa Al-Bukhari" was published by the Palestinian Ministry of Culture in 2016, containing approximately 200 color drawings.
His artistic style
Bahaa Bukhari is considered one of the most famous cartoonists in the world, having carved his name among the giants of the art world through his unique and aesthetically pleasing portrayal of the Palestinian scene. His book, "Bahaa Bukhari's Cartoons," was published in Kuwait in 1985, containing 400 of his drawings. He drew cartoons in almost every form—political, thematic, and social—and was the first to introduce color cartoons to the Arab press in 1979. He also ventured into children's illustration and advertising, and excelled in oil painting. He is considered one of the Arab artists who drew more about Jerusalem and Palestine than any other artist, and his cartoons featured recurring characters almost daily: "Abu al-Abd and Umm al-Abd," as well as "Abu Arab."
His individual and collective opposition
He held a number of exhibitions specializing in caricature in the Palestinian territories , including: the Hebron exhibition in 2015 on the occasion of commemorating the National Day of Culture within the activities of the Palestinian Ministry of Culture , and he has an exhibition at the Sheraton Hotel in Kuwait.
Internationally, his first exhibition was held in Bulgaria in 1974, and he participated in exhibitions in Turkey , France, Japan, and the United States. In 2006, he participated in an international exhibition held at the United Nations headquarters in New York . He also made diverse contributions to the fields of animation and comic books.
Achievements and Awards
Awards and certificates received
Third place at the International Exhibition in Bulgaria in 1974.
The Golden Feather Award in Kuwait, 1976.
Award and certificate of (courage) from the United States in 2008.
The Golden Pen Award from the Cannes Film Festival in France, 2014.
The Palestinian Medal of Culture, Science and Arts "Level of Creativity" from President Mahmoud Abbas on October 21, 2015.
Source
- Years in active
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