The United States Postal Service (USPS) has dedicated a new set of Forever stamps to commemorate the 100th birthday of the late American artist Roy Lichtenstein. The event was held at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City, where five of Lichtenstein’s most iconic works were featured on the stamps.
USPS General Counsel and Executive Vice President, Thomas Marshall, expressed his admiration for Lichtenstein’s contribution to the art world: “Roy Lichtenstein certainly deserves this recognition because of the remarkable creativity and innovation he demonstrated throughout his career.” Lichtenstein is widely regarded as one of the pioneers of the pop art movement in the 20th century.
The stamps, which come in panes of 20, feature Lichtenstein’s famous artwork, including “Standing Explosion (Red)” (1965), “Modern Painting I” (1966), “Still Life With Crystal Bowl” (1972), “Still Life With Goldfish” (1972), and “Portrait of a Woman” (1979). The left third of the pane also features a photograph of the artist standing in front of one of his dot-pattern paintings, with his face framed by a model of his 1983 sculpture Brushstrokes in Flight.
Derry Noyes, an art director for USPS, designed the stamps, which are now available to the public. News of the stamps is being shared with the hashtag #RoyLichtensteinStamps.
Lichtenstein was born on October 27, 1923, in New York City and grew up on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. He was interested in art from an early age, and his talent was recognized when he was just 13 years old. He studied painting at the Art Students League and Ohio State University, where he developed his unique style.
Lichtenstein admired the works of early 20th-century European masters such as Pablo Picasso, Paul Klee, and Joan Miró, and his early works reflected their styles. However, he later found inspiration in comic books, advertisements, and mass-produced objects, which he incorporated into his pop art style. In 1962, Lichtenstein attended a symposium at the Museum of Modern Art, where the name “pop art” was coined for this new artistic movement. Pop art was seen as a parody of its subjects, poking fun at consumerism and mass culture.
Throughout the 1970s, Lichtenstein continued to experiment with various styles, including Cubism, Purism, and Futurism. He also explored the works of other artists and borrowed elements from them to create new works of art. In the 1980s and 1990s, he remained active, creating several series of works, including geometric abstractions, nudes, and Chinese landscapes.
Lichtenstein died on September 29, 1997, at the age of 73, but his legacy lives on. His art continues to be celebrated for its wit and invention, and he is widely regarded as one of the most influential artists of the 20th century.
Dorothy Lichtenstein, the artist’s widow, and president of the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation, expressed her delight at the USPS’s recognition of her husband’s work: “I think it’s an honor, and more people will find out about Roy. I think he would have really loved it.”
The USPS has a long tradition of recognizing and celebrating the people who represent the best of America. The Roy Lichtenstein stamps are the latest addition to the USPS’s stamp program, which has featured many notable figures, including civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., writer Maya Angelou, and astronaut Sally Ride.