Yaacov Corda

Yaacov Ye'hezkel Corda is an artist born in Corsica, in Porto-Vecchio — a painter, illustrator, sculptor, writer, and lecturer. A self-taught artist, he began his career in commercial drawing and comic books, while also writing for the theatre. His first play was a great success when he was only 16 years old. A year later, his portfolio was accepted by Disney’s French animation team in Montreuil, but he was not yet of legal age to work. The following year, out of boredom, he joined the French army and served in Canjuers, in the Gorges du Verdon. There, he practiced pyrography and received the title of Official Painter of the French Army, for which he painted large-scale reproductions of Gauguin’s works and led a team of painters on Tahitian themes. He then traveled to Italy, spent time at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, and specialized in the techniques of Italian Renaissance frescoes as well as the graphic research of Leonardo da Vinci. Upon returning to Corsica, he wrote and illustrated for the theatre, studied singing, hosted radio programs, and began teaching painting to numerous students. He multiplied his exhibitions, learned sculpture, and soon won the Grand Finale in both painting and sculpture categories at the 1st International Grand Prize of Painting and Sculpture of Corsica. At the height of his success, this island-born artist moved to Israel and dedicated his life to the study of the Torah of Truth. Upon seeing a photo of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, he became deeply attached to this Master and his philosophy. To reach the required spiritual level, he stopped painting for three years to study Kabbalah day and night, and continued for another ten years on a “special mission to spread Chassidut among Kabbalists.” Following his teachers’ requests, he began teaching Kabbalah and, according to the Rebbe’s guidance, returned to painting while giving lectures on the intellectual branch of Chassidut. At the same time, he collaborated with art galleries in Jerusalem and founded an association dedicated to publishing study books, novels, and plays—all centered on spiritual and personal growth. Soon after, he developed new painting techniques on canvas that combined his experience in graphic design and oil painting, merging the influences of his classical studies with a modern expression. Finally, he expanded his outreach through online lectures and continues to write extraordinary novels that take readers into inner worlds and hidden dimensions of being—determined to achieve the worldwide recognition he deserves.