About the Author

Kamal Boullata is a Palestinian painter and writer. Public collections holding his art include the British Museum, London, the Institut du Monde Arabe, Paris and the New York Public Library. His writings on Arab and Palestinian art have appeared in exhibition catalogues, anthologies and periodicals including the Journal of Palestine Studies and the Encyclopedia of the Palestinians. He is the author of Recovery of Place: A Study of Contemporary Palestinian Art (in Arabic) and the editor of Belonging and Globalisation: Critical Essays on Contemporary Art and Culture (Saqi Books).

Reviews

'It is rare and exciting to find an art book full of persuasive, urgent visual imagery whose language and strategies are ultimately unfamiliar to the complacent western eye.' Guardian; `Weaving intimate reference and archival research with scholarly analysis, Palestinian Art offers the reader an unprecedented depth of insight into the political context and aesthetic concerns of Palestinian art throughout its troubled history.' Jean Fisher, author of Vampire in the Text: Narratives of Contemporary Art; `A marvellous portmanteau of a book ... Written from deep knowledge and empathetic insight, Kamal Boullata's gravely elegant essays are indispensable.' Mel Gooding, editor of Painter as Critic - Patrick Heron: Selected Writings; `The first comprehensive history of modern and contemporary Palestinian art.' Catherine David, Conservateur des Musees Nationaux, Paris; `Boullata's historical writings and art criticism in Arabic, English and French have become the standard by which all other writings on Palestinian art are measured.' Joseph Massad, Art Journal; `An extensive scholarly expose of the development of Palestinian art in the context of more than a century and a half of historical and political transformations in the area... Palestinian Art is a treasure trove of informative texts and aesthetic encounters...one that might provide a beginning and a framework for further study and research in the field. It is hoped that a sequel to this publication will soon follow documenting recent manifestations of Palestinian art, as it asserts itself both in Palestine and in the international art scene of the twenty-first century.' Wasafiri