Description
About the stamp designs: Each stamp pictures a different work by Lichtenstein:
“Standing Explosion (Red)” (porcelain enamel on steel sculpture, 1965)
“Modern Painting I” (oil on magna on canvas, 1966)
“Still Life with Crystal Bowl” (oil and magna on canvas, 1972)
“Still Life with Goldfish” (oil and magna on canvas, 1972)
“Portrait of a Woman” (oil and magna on linen, 1979)
Special design details: The selvage of the pane of 20 pictures a photograph of Lichtenstein taken by Bob Adelman along with an image of Lichtenstein’s 1983 sculpture “Brushtrokes in Flight.”
First Day City: The stamps were issued April 24, 2023, in New York City, at the Whitney Museum of American Art.
History the stamp represents: Roy Lichtenstein (October 27, 1923 – September 29, 1997) was a leading figure of the 20th-century Pop Art movement. His bold paintings blurred the lines between fine art, advertising, and commercialism.
Lichtenstein was a draftsman and artist for the Army during World War II, earned a master’s degree, and taught for 15 years. His first pop art piece was Look Mickey (1961), reportedly inspired by a challenge from his sons. He continued to find inspiration in commercial products, advertisements, and most notably, comic books. Lichtenstein was drawn to powerful, emotional images of love and war. His work explored the cold, mechanical process used to convey such intense subjects. Lichtenstein recreated these printed materials in paint, making subtle, but important changes in color, size, context, and more. His works used thick, dark outlines, vibrant colors, graphic shapes, and small Ben-Day dots – evenly spaced dots used in printing to create large areas of solid color.
Lichtenstein also found inspiration in architecture, landscapes, art history, and more. And he used his signature technique to explore other styles such as Cubism and Surrealism. Today, his works are on display in art galleries and public spaces. In 2023, he was honored with a set of stamps that bring the playful creativity of his art to the collections (and mail) of millions.
5 sheets of 100 First-Class Forever® USPS postage stamps. *The slash over “Forever” in the image is to protect it from being used to produce counterfeit postage. Actual stamps will not have this.
