The late Samir Salameh was born in Safad, Palestine, in 1944. He enrolled at the Faculty of Fine Arts of Damascus University and completed his studies in 1972 before moving to Beirut, where he joined the Palestine Liberation Organization. Salameh participated in several collective exhibitions in Beirut, as well as numerous group exhibitions in Palestine. He also participated in a series of art exhibitions in Japan, Sweden, Germany, Morocco, Egypt, Jordan, and in several French cities. He established an international exhibition in Beirut, then moved to Tokyo before returning to Beirut and exhibiting paintings destroyed by warplanes bombed during the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982.
Samir Salameh depicts abstract expressionist paintings using bright, luminous colors. Themes of landscapes also can be seen in his work, addressing the struggle of occupation and displacement. His use of glowing colors symbolizes a sign of hope for the Palestinian cause.
His artworks can be found in the collections of the British Museum (London, UK), Jordan National Museum (Amman, Jordan), National Museum of Sharjah (Sharjah, UAE), Potsdam Museum (Potsdam, Germany), Museum of Modern Art (Tunis, Tunisia), Metropolitan Museum (Tokyo, Japan) Opera House (Sydney, Australia) among others. Salameh passed away in France in 2018.