22 - NAJI AL-ALI (PALESTINIAN, 1938-1987)

NAJI AL-ALI (PALESTINIAN, 1938-1987) Unlocking the Systems Ink on paper 37.5cm x 27.5cm Born in Al-Shajara, Palestine in 1938, Naji Al-Ali lived as an exile in South Lebanon in the refugee camp of Ain Al-Hilweh. He first drew cartoons on camp and prison walls during periods of detention by the Lebanese Army, and his work was initally discovered and published in 1961-1962 by Ghassan Kanafani. Al-Ali went on to work in Kuwait at the Al-Qabas newspaper, and following his later expulsion from Kuwait he moved to London to continue working for the international edition of Al-Qabas. On the 22nd of July 1987, Naji Al-Ali was shot in the head outside the offices of Al-Qabas in London and died in August 1987. Al-Ali was renowned for creating the character of Handala in 1969, a barefoot 10-year old refugee boy, depicted with his back turned to the viewer - representing Palestinian steadfastness and the refusal to compromise until return and liberation. Handala permanently remains 10 years old, the same age at which Naji Al-Ali left Palestine. Naji Al-Ali was one of the best-known cartoonists in the Arab world. He drew over 40,000 cartoons, reflecting both Palestinian and Arab public opinions. Provenance: From the property of a private collector.