Squirrel - Israel Postal Bank (c.1960)

Year: Undated (c.1960)

Format: Postage Stamp

Illustrator: Paul Kor (1926-2001)

Client: Israel Postal Bank

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Details: This c.1960 stamp is from an animal-inspired series created by Israeli artist Paul Kor (1926-2001). It was commissioned by the Israel Postal Bank to communicate the importance of savings.

Paul Kor (originally Kornowski) was born in Paris, where his family had emigrated from Poland. As a young art lover, his mother would take him to the Louvre, where he would enjoy recreating the works he saw. His father, Yitzhak, a tailor by trade, was murdered in the Holocaust in Auschwitz. Kor and his brother took refuge in Switzerland, living in a Jewish orphanage until the end of the war.

His skills earned him a place studying art and graphics at the École des Beaux-Arts in Geneva. He subsequently returned to Paris to continue his studies at the École des Beaux-Arts. Kor immigrated to Israel in 1948, where he started his career as a designer and illustrator.

Kor designed banknotes, postal stamps and posters for state institutions. Other clients included El-Al Airlines, the Elite Chocolate Company and the Coca-Cola Company. He later developed an interest in children’s book publishing that led to a career writing and illustrating best-selling children's books.