USPS to honor pop artist Roy Lichtenstein with set of 5 stamps

Pop artist Roy Lichtenstein’s colorful works will appear on five Forever stamps. Image courtesy of the USPS

NEW YORK – The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) will honor Roy Lichtenstein (American, 1923-1997) with five commemorative Forever stamps featuring his colorful pop art. The first-day-of-issue event for the quintet of stamps will take place Monday, April 24 at the Whitney Museum of American Art.

Tom Marshall, U.S. Postal Service general counsel and executive vice president, will serve as dedicating official. The April 24 event, which begins at 11:30 am Eastern time, is free and open to the public. Attendees are encouraged to RSVP at usps.com/roylichtenstein.

The five Roy Lichtenstein works featured on the forthcoming Forever stamps are:

Standing Explosion (Red) created in 1965. The porcelain enamel on steel work is part of the collection of the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas.

Modern Painting I, dating to 1966, which is an acrylic, oil and graphite pencil on canvas painting that belongs to the collection of the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation in Los Angeles.

Still Life with Crystal Bowl from 1972 is an acrylic, oil and graphite pencil on canvas painting that is part of the collection of the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City, which will be the site of the unveiling of the stamps in April.

Still Life with Goldfish, also from 1972, is an acrylic, oil and graphite pencil on canvas painting that is owned by a private collector.

The fifth and final chosen work, Portrait of a Woman from 1979, is an acrylic, oil and graphite pencil on canvas painting that is owned by a private collector.

News of the stamps’ release is being shared on social media with the hashtag #RoyLichtensteinStamps.

About Roy Lichtenstein

Roy Lichtenstein stunned the art world in 1961 with his large paintings starring cartoon characters and a range of consumer products, among other unlikely subjects. Some art connoisseurs found them outrageous, but others saw great meaning in them. Lichtenstein’s career quickly took off.

Pop art, which arose in the late 1950s and reached its height in the 1960s, looked to popular culture for its aesthetic. It often was seen as poking fun at consumerism.

With their trademark heavy black outlining, intense colors, dot patterns simulating four-color mechanical printing and machine-made quality, Lichtenstein’s paintings are instantly recognizable.

The many honors Lichtenstein received during the course of his career include induction into the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1979 and the National Medal of Arts in 1995. His work is found in prestigious museums and galleries around the world.

Customers may purchase stamps and other philatelic products through the Postal Store at usps.com/shopstamps, by calling 844-737-7826, by mail through USA Philatelic or at Post Office locations nationwide.