Born in Jerusalem in 1948, Boullata is a Palestinian artist and an authority on Arab art history. His works as a painter are primarily done in acrylic and are abstract in style, often merging geometric form with Arabic calligraphy. He explores themes of separation and alienation in Palestinian identity. He studied at the Fine Arts Academy in Rome and at the Corcoran Gallery School of Art in Washington DC, and was awarded Fulbright Senior Scholarships to conduct research on Islamic art in Morocco in 1993 and 1994. He has been exhibited throughout Europe, the United States and the Middle East.