Art and designאוטה וליש

Otte Wallish

Otte Wallish was a Czech-born Israeli graphic designer who did the calligraphy of Israel's Declaration of Independence scroll and designed the country's first postage stamps.

1906 to 1977Declaration of Independence scroll calligraphyThe Doar Ivri stampsDesigning Israeli coins and banknotes

Born: 25 April 1906, Znojmo
Died: 15 May 1977, Israel
Occupation: graphic designer, postage stamp designer, graphic artist, illustrator

Otte Wallish was born in 1906 in Znojmo

Otte Wallish was born in 1906 in Znojmo, Moravia, then part of Austria-Hungary. He was of Jewish descent. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna.

After serving in the Czech army, he opened a design and advertising office in Prague. He married Helena Weissenstein and moved to Mandatory Palestine in 1934, and his wife joined him in 1935. The couple had a son and a daughter and settled in Herzliya.

In 1936 he opened a graphic design studio on Nahalat Binyamin Street in Tel Aviv. The studio also served as a base for SHAI, the intelligence service of the Haganah.

In 1948 he did the calligraphy of the Declaration of Independence scroll and prepared the hall at the Tel Aviv Museum for the ceremony. He also designed the first stamps of the state, the Doar Ivri series, based on ancient Jewish coins. His work also included coins, banknotes, medals, posters and company logos.

Wallish died in Herzliya in 1977 and was buried in Kfar Shmaryahu.