Published in Ramallah in 1984, Palestinian Visual Art in the Occupied Territories is a rare historical publication prepared by Palestinian artists Issam Bader and Nabil Anani. The book documents the development of Palestinian visual art under occupation through texts, exhibition records, photographs, artist biographies and reproductions of artworks. Its publication details record Gallery 79 as the copyright holder.
A record of Palestinian artistic life
The publication traces exhibitions and artistic activity across the occupied Palestinian territories during the 1970s and early 1980s. It preserves records of group exhibitions, cultural initiatives and presentations of Palestinian art abroad, offering evidence of how artists worked, exhibited and organized in the absence of established cultural institutions.
The book also documents the League of Palestinian Artists and Gallery 79 in Ramallah, both central to the emerging Palestinian art movement of the period. Its historical photographs, exhibition announcements and printed records provide valuable primary-source material for studying Palestinian cultural life under occupation.
Why the publication matters
The book offers a contemporary record created by artists who were directly involved in the Palestinian cultural movement it describes. Rather than reconstructing this history from a later perspective, it documents exhibitions, organizations and artistic activity as they were developing across the occupied Palestinian territories.
The publication brings together several kinds of historical evidence. Exhibition announcements record dates, locations and participating artists. Photographs document artists, gatherings and cultural events. Reproductions preserve works that may now be dispersed, held in private collections or otherwise difficult to trace. Its bilingual artist profiles also provide contemporary information about education, teaching, exhibitions and institutional involvement.
This combination makes Palestinian Visual Art in the Occupied Territories valuable beyond its role as an art book. It provides material for researching how Palestinian artists built professional networks, organized exhibitions and maintained a public cultural presence under occupation. It also records connections between artistic practice, education, cultural institutions and the international presentation of Palestinian art.
The publication has particular significance for the Issam Bader Archive because Bader was both one of its authors and one of the artists it documents. His contemporary biography and the works reproduced in the book provide evidence originating during his lifetime, while the publication’s wider contents place him among the Palestinian artists with whom he worked, exhibited and developed cultural initiatives.
Gallery 79 and publishing
The work associated with Gallery 79 extended beyond organizing exhibitions to include education, documentation and publishing. The appearance of the Gallery 79 name in the book’s publication details indicates that the project continued as a cultural and documentary reference beyond the operation of its physical exhibition space.
The original volume identifies Gallery 79 as the copyright holder. Further archival research may help clarify its complete role in the book’s preparation, production and distribution.
View the publication
This archival video presents pages from the physical volume and offers an introduction to its contents and design. It is provided as a viewing resource rather than as a complete digitized edition of the publication.
Artists documented in the book
The second part of the publication presents bilingual biographies and selected works by Palestinian artists, including Jamal Badran, Samira Badran, Issam Bader, Ibrahim Saba, Vera Tamari, Bashir Sinwar, Taiser Sharaf, Nabil Anani, Fathi Ghaben, Kamel Al-Moghanni and Sliman Mansour.
Issam Bader’s section includes a contemporary biography alongside paintings and ceramic works. It records his education in Baghdad, postgraduate study in ceramics in Tbilisi, exhibitions in Palestine and abroad, teaching work in Ramallah and Al-Bireh, and involvement in developing Palestinian ceramics and handicrafts.
About this archival record
This page forms part of the Issam Bader Archive’s continuing research into the artist’s life and the history of Palestinian visual art. Selected material from the publication may be presented separately with explanatory text, source references and links to related artworks, exhibitions and historical records.
Publication details
Title: Palestinian Visual Art in the Occupied Territories
Original title: الفن التشكيلي الفلسطيني في الأرض المحتلة
Authors: Issam Bader and Nabil Anani
Introduction: Khaled al-Batrawi
Place of publication: Ramallah
Edition: First edition
Year: 1984
Copyright: Gallery 79