Personal Info
- Country of residence: France
Information
Samir Salameh (French: Samir
Salameh) (16 August 1944 - 16 August 2018) is a Palestinian-French painter and
plastic artist, who played an important role in establishing the Department of
Fine Arts and Unified Media in the Palestine Liberation Organization.
his life
Samir Salameh was born in the city
of Safed on August 16, 1944, and as a result of the Nakba, he was forced to
move with his family to the town of Majd al-Krum in the Galilee, and from there
to the village of Bint Jbeil in Lebanon, where his father searched for his
acquaintances with whom he was working in stone carving. Samir stayed with them
for a short period, but continued his journey to Beirut, then Damascus, and
finally settled in a monastery of the Christian community in Daraa.
Samir started drawing early, and was
encouraged by his art teacher. The Syrian artist, Adham Ismail, was
instrumental in directing Samir in the field of graphic arts. He also
contributed to his choice of the Faculty of Fine Arts at Damascus University.
Samir finished his university
studies in 1972, then moved to Beirut, where he joined the Unified Media
Department of the Palestine Liberation Organization. He contributed for three
years in drafting the political poster in response to the requirements of the
stage. He also participated at the time in group exhibitions in Beirut as well
as in many international exhibitions in the name of Palestine. Accordingly, he
founded the Department of Fine Arts in the Unified Media Department, and
participated in the activities of the syndicate framework for Palestinian
plastic artists headed by Ismail Shammout, who became the first
Secretary-General of the Union of Arab Plastic Artists.
In 1975, Samir left for Paris to
pursue his postgraduate studies at the College of Fine Arts opposite the Louvre
Museum, and when he received his residence card, he discovered on its papers
that the place of his birth, Safed, was written as a city in Israel. specific.”However, Samir did not give up and waged a war years later to have
Safed/Palestine as his place of birth in his French passport, and this was an
important precedent that he succeeded in achieving.
After Samir finished his education
and settled in France, he received a job for three years in the field of design
and graphics in the Department of Arabic Publications at the UNESCO
headquarters, then worked as a teacher for three years in the open drawing
program at the University of Gusio in Paris, and also contributed to the
formation of the group “Artists from For the sake of Palestine.
Samir participated in a number of
external art exhibitions in Morocco, Egypt, Jordan, and others. He also
participated in internal exhibitions in French cities.
Samir held an international
exhibition for Palestine in Beirut under the supervision of the artist Mona
Al-Saudi, then moved to Tokyo in Japan before returning to Beirut and his
paintings were destroyed by the bombing of warplanes during the Israeli
invasion of Lebanon in June 1982.
Samir arrived in Palestine at the
beginning of 1996 and returned to Safed for the first time but failed to find
his home. In Ramallah, he received a presidential decree appointing him as an
advisor at the Ministry of Culture. He worked for two years in the artistic
designs of the Khan Yunis Hospital of the Red Crescent Society, before
returning to Ramallah to supervise the Arts Department, Hallaj Hall, and some
exhibitions. He was later assigned to follow up on art at the Red Crescent
Society’s headquarters in Al-Bireh, which was under construction, remained in
his position as General Manager until his retirement in 2004. In 2005, Samir
held his first exhibition in Palestine.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas
awarded him the Palestinian Culture, Science and Arts Medal (level of
brilliance), in appreciation of his cultural and artistic career and his role
in establishing the Department of Fine Arts and Unified Media in the PLO.
his death
Samir Salameh died on August 16,
2018 in Paris, at the age of 74.
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Achievements and Awards
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