Paul Kor
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Paul Kor (Kornowski, he, פאול קור, August 1, 1926 – May 24, 2001) was an Israeli
painter Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ai ...
,
graphic designer A graphic designer is a professional within the graphic design and graphic arts industry who assembles together images, typography, or motion graphics to create a piece of design. A graphic designer creates the graphics primarily for published, ...
, children's author and illustrator who won many prizes in Israel and worldwide.


Biography

Paul Kornowski was born in
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
, to a non-observant
Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
family who had emigrated from
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
. His father, Yitzhak, a tailor by trade, was murdered in the
Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...
in
Auschwitz Auschwitz concentration camp ( (); also or ) was a complex of over 40 concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) during World War II and the Holocaust. It con ...
, and the young Paul was smuggled to Geneva, Switzerland, together with his brother, where he lived as a refugee in a Jewish orphanage until the end of the war. During that time he studied
art Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas. There is no generally agreed definition of wha ...
and
graphics Graphics () are visual images or designs on some surface, such as a wall, canvas, screen, paper, or stone, to inform, illustrate, or entertain. In contemporary usage, it includes a pictorial representation of data, as in design and manufacture ...
at the
École des Beaux-Arts École des Beaux-Arts (; ) refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The term is associated with the Beaux-Arts style in architecture and city planning that thrived in France and other countries during the late nineteenth century ...
in
Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...
, and subsequently at the
École Nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts The Beaux-Arts de Paris is a French ''grande école'' whose primary mission is to provide high-level arts education and training. This is classical and historical School of Fine Arts in France. The art school, which is part of the Paris Science ...
in
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
. At the beginning of the
1948 Arab-Israeli war Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The Constitution of New Jersey (later subject to amendment) goes into effect. ** The railways of Britain are nationalized, to form British ...
he immigrated to
Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
and joined the
IDF IDF or idf may refer to: Defence forces * Irish Defence Forces * Israel Defense Forces *Iceland Defense Force, of the US Armed Forces, 1951-2006 * Indian Defence Force, a part-time force, 1917 Organizations * Israeli Diving Federation * Interac ...
as a volunteer in MAHAL (Foreign Volunteers). After his marriage to Pnina Tovbin, whom he met while in the IDF, he remained in Israel. Paul Kor retained his family name Kornowski but used Kor to sign his works. In 2001, Kor died of lung cancer, at the age of 75. He was buried in the Kiryat Sha'ul Cemetery in Tel Aviv. He is survived by his wife Pnina and his two sons. His granddaughter is Israeli actress Lihi Kornowski. In June 2008, a street was named after him in
Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...
, the city in which he worked and created for most of his life.


Art career

Kor was awarded first prize - the "Golden Siren" sculpture - for his poster for the promotion of tourism at the Fourth International Tourism Posters Competition in 1966, in Milan, Italy. In addition to his constant activity as an artist in Israel and the world, Kor worked for many years in illustration and graphic design. He designed some of the
banknotes A banknote—also called a bill (North American English), paper money, or simply a note—is a type of negotiable instrument, negotiable promissory note, made by a bank or other licensed authority, payable to the bearer on demand. Banknotes w ...
and
stamps Stamp or Stamps or Stamping may refer to: Official documents and related impressions * Postage stamp, used to indicate prepayment of fees for public mail * Ration stamp, indicating the right to rationed goods * Revenue stamp, used on documents to ...
of the
State of Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
, and also designed and produced booklets and posters in Israel and in France. In 1968, his illustrated text-less book Tête-à-Queue was awarded the "Beautiful Book" prize in France, and was also exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in Paris. At the beginning of the 1970s, Kor painted and designed the last series of the
Israeli pound The pound or lira ( he, לירה ישראלית ''Lira Yisra'elit'', ar, جنيه إسرائيلي ''Junayh ʾIsrāʾīlī''; abbreviation: IL in Latin alphabet, Latin, ל"י in Hebrew script, Hebrew; code ) was the currency of the Israel, State ...
banknotes, which was the basis for the first series of
Israeli shekel The new Israeli shekel ( he, שֶׁקֶל חָדָשׁ '; ar, شيكل جديد ; sign: ₪; ISO code: ILS; abbreviation: NIS), also known as simply the Israeli shekel ( he, שקל ישראלי, ar, شيكل إسرائيلي), is the curre ...
banknotes. The notes he designed depict portraits of
Henrietta Szold Henrietta Szold ( , ; December 21, 1860 – February 13, 1945) was a U.S. Jewish Zionist leader and founder of Hadassah, the Women's Zionist Organization of America. In 1942, she co-founded Ihud, a political party in Mandatory Palestine dedic ...
(IL5),
Montefiore Montefiore, Montifiore, and Montefiori is a surname associated with the Montefiore family, Sephardi Jews who were diplomats and bankers all over Europe and who originated from the Iberian Peninsula, namely Spain and Portugal, and also France, Morocc ...
(IL10),
Chaim Weizmann Chaim Azriel Weizmann ( he, חיים עזריאל ויצמן ', russian: Хаим Евзорович Вейцман, ''Khaim Evzorovich Veytsman''; 27 November 1874 – 9 November 1952) was a Russian-born biochemist, Zionist leader and Israel ...
(IL50) and
Herzl Herzl is both a given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include: Given name: *Herzl Berger *Herzl Bodinger *Herzl Rosenblum *Herzl Yankl Tsam Surname: *Theodor Herzl See also *Mount Herzl *''Herzl (play) ''Herzl'' is a 1976 play w ...
(IL100). He was always searching for his identity and combined two worlds: the realistic one and the world of dreams. His paintings were exhibited in Paris,
Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
and
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
. In Israel, his works were shown at Gallery Rosenfeld,
Yad Vashem Yad Vashem ( he, יָד וַשֵׁם; literally, "a memorial and a name") is Israel's official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust. It is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Jews who were murdered; honoring Jews who fought against th ...
in Jerusalem, the
Petach Tikvah Petah Tikva ( he, פֶּתַח תִּקְוָה, , ), also known as ''Em HaMoshavot'' (), is a city in the Central District of Israel, east of Tel Aviv. It was founded in 1878, mainly by Haredi Jews of the Old Yishuv, and became a permanent set ...
Museum of Art, and Yad Layeled. On the tenth anniversary of his death, Kor's oil painting ''The Cellist'' was exhibited at the ''Yad LaYeled'' Children's Museum at the
Ghetto Fighters' House The Ghetto Fighters' House ( he, בית לוחמי הגטאות, ''Beit Lohamei Ha-Getaot''), full name, Itzhak Katzenelson Holocaust and Jewish Resistance Heritage Museum, Documentation and Study Center, was founded in 1949 by members of Kibbut ...
, alongside the children's books he wrote and illustrated. Two of his monotypes dated 1995 are in the
Israel Museum The Israel Museum ( he, מוזיאון ישראל, ''Muze'on Yisrael'') is an art and archaeological museum in Jerusalem. It was established in 1965 as Israel's largest and foremost cultural institution, and one of the world’s leading encyclopa ...
’s collection in
Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
.


Children's books

In 1974, Kor began focusing on painting and illustrating children's books. From the 1980s Kor was considered one of the most popular and most-loved children's authors in Israel. In 1986, he published, through the
Keter Publishing House Keter ( he-a, כֶּתֶר, Keter.ogg, link=yes, ''Keṯer'', lit. " crown") also known as Kether, is the topmost of the sephirot of the Tree of Life in Kabbalah. Since its meaning is "crown", it is interpreted as both the "topmost" of the Se ...
, the book ''The Fish that Didn't Want to be a Fish'', which creates the effect of changing characters. Later on, he wrote and illustrated ''The Hawk's Story''. His best known book, ''Caspion the Little Fish'', published by
Zmora Bitan Kinneret Zmora-Bitan Dvir is one of Israel's largest book publishing companies. History The company's oldest imprint, Dvir, was founded in Odessa in 1919 by Hayim Nahman Bialik.
, starred for the first time a small silver fish which became the character most identified with Paul Kor as a children's author. Kor tells it: “On the table in my studio there lay an open box of cigarettes and a ray of sunshine fell on the silver paper and sparkled inside it and in a fraction of a second the idea was born to write a book about a silver fish". ''Caspion'', which won the Ben-Yitzhak illustration prize from the Youth Wing of the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, subsequently became a 3-book series (the other books in the series are ''Caspion in Danger'' and ''Caspion's Great Journey''). In addition, Paul Kor published through "Zmora Bitan" the book ''The Magic Zoo'', which was awarded the Nahum Guttman prize for illustration by the Tel Aviv Municipality. From then on, more children's books were published one after the other by "Kinneret Zmora Bitan", all of which enjoyed great success. ''Caspion'' was joined, among others, by ''Ben-Ben and the Fledgling'', ''The Elephant who Wanted to be the Best'', ''The Sultan who Wanted to Fly'', ''The Boy who Loved the Moon'', ''Flower, Flower, Don't Cry'', ''Little Frog, Go to Sleep'', ''The Most Beautiful Color in the World'', ''The Little Climber and the Glowing Flower'' and other illustrated stories which enjoyed great popularity among both children and parents. A number of books were made into DVDs and children's plays which are still being played successfully to this day.


Commemoration

After his death, Paul Kor's family made two animated films based on the books: ''The Elephant who Wanted to be the Best'' and ''Caspion'', produced by "Classikaletet". In 2005, a drawing book was found in a basement in Paris full of drawings he had made while he was still a child. In April 2014, HIT -
Holon Holon ( he, חוֹלוֹן ) is a city on the central coastal strip of Israel, south of Tel Aviv. Holon is part of the metropolitan Gush Dan area. In it had a population of . Holon has the second-largest industrial zone in Israel, after Haifa. ...
Institute of Technology exhibited the poster Kor designed in 1973 for the 25th anniversary of the State of Israel.


See also

*
Visual arts in Israel Visual arts in Israel refers to plastic art created first in the region of Palestine, from the later part of the 19th century until 1948 and subsequently in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories by Israeli artists. Visual art in Israel ...


References


External links


Official website: biographyTable games based on Paul Kor children books.The posters collection
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kor, Paul 1926 births 2001 deaths Artists from Paris French Ashkenazi Jews French people of Polish-Jewish descent Israeli children's writers French emigrants to Israel Israeli stamp designers 20th-century Israeli painters Jewish artists Israeli Ashkenazi Jews Israeli people of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War Deaths from lung cancer in Israel Burials at Kiryat Shaul Cemetery