Gallery 5: Palestinian Artists/Agencies

Beginning in the early 1960s, Palestinian artists began to organize and create posters that promoted the revolutionary goals of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). The earliest posters done by Palestinian artists were generally works in black and white and printed on the crudest of papers, usually newspaper stock. It is for this reason that so few works from this era have survived.

In 1968 the PLO established a public information arm, the Unified Information Office, and actively sought poster designs from Palestinian artists, began printing posters in large numbers and distributing them internationally. Though the PLO’s strategic political doctrine was coordinated, each faction of the PLO retained the power to design and print its own posters and to control the emphasis of its posters messages.

Today just about every Palestinian organization in the world — political, cultural, religious, educational, military, diplomatic, social, etc. — prints and distributes posters. The freedom to publicly express the galaxy of political positions found in this complex and continuously evolving national art form is claimed by the Palestinians as a proof of their commitment to democratic principles. It may also partially explain the internal cohesion of their nationalist principles, even under the pressures of occupation and exile.

An important note about availability
Most of the posters in this exhibit are limited editions, archival copies, or out of print. They are rare Palestinian historical documents and are not for sale. Liberation Graphics does not have any Palestine posters for sale and has no plans to establish a sales program. If you have a Palestine poster that you would like to donate, or if you would like to learn about our poster exchange program, please visit the Palestine Poster Project page for details.

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