With these eye-catching new stamps, the U.S. Postal Service honors Roy Lichtenstein (1923–1997), the iconic American artist of the pop art movement. This genre, which arose in the late 1950s and reached its height in the 1960s, looked to popular culture for its aesthetic.
Each of the five stamps in the pane of 20 features one work of art by Lichtenstein: Standing Explosion (Red) (porcelain enamel on steel, 1965); Modern Painting I (acrylic, oil, graphite pencil on canvas, 1966); Still Life with Crystal Bowl (acrylic, oil, graphite pencil on canvas, 1972); Still Life with Goldfish (acrylic, oil, graphite pencil on canvas, 1972); and Portrait of a Woman (acrylic, oil, graphite pencil on canvas, 1979). In the left third of the pane is a photograph by Bob Adelman of Lichtenstein standing in front of one of his dot-pattern paintings. His face is framed by a model of his 1983 sculpture Brushstrokes in Flight.
Lichtenstein stunned the art world in 1961 with his large paintings starring Mickey Mouse, Popeye, and a range of consumer products, among other unlikely subjects. Some art connoisseurs found them outrageous, but others saw great meaning in them. His career quickly took off.
With their trademark heavy black outlining, intense colors, dot pattern simulating four-color mechanical printing, and machine-made quality, Lichtenstein’s paintings are instantly recognizable. His work is found in prestigious museums and galleries around the world.
Art director Derry Noyes designed the stamps.
The Roy Lichtenstein stamps are being issued as Forever® stamps. These Forever stamps will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail® one-ounce rate.
Product Specification:
| Issue: | Roy Lichtenstein Stamps |
| Item Number: | 483500 |
| Denomination & | First-Class Mail Forever |
| Type of Issue: | |
| Format: | Pane of 20 (5 designs) |
| Series: | N/A |
| Issue Date & City: | April 24, 2023, New York, NY 10199 |
| Art Director: | Derry Noyes, Washington, DC |
| Designer: | Derry Noyes, Washington, DC |
| Existing Art: | Roy Lichtenstein |
| Modeler: | Sandra Lane / Michelle Finn |
| Manufacturing Process: | Offset / Flexographic |
| Printer: | Banknote Corporation of America |
| Press Type: | Gallus RCS |
| Stamps per Pane: | 20 |
| Print Quantity: | 18,000,000 stamps |
| Paper Type: | Phosphor Tagged Paper, Block |
| Adhesive Type: | Pressure-sensitive |
| Colors: | Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black, Pantone 1805C, Pantone 2104C |
| Stamp Orientation: | Vertical |
| Image Area (w x h): | 1.085 x 1.42 in / 27.559 x 36.068 mm |
| Overall Size (w x h): | 1.225 x 1.56 in / 31.115 x 39.624 mm |
| Full Pane Size (w x h): | 9.70 x 7.30 in / 246.38 x 185.42 mm |
| Press Sheets Size (w x h): | 19.40 x 14.60 in / 492.76 x 370.84 mm |
| Plate Size: | 80 stamps per revolution |
| Plate Number: | “B” followed by six (6) single digits in two corners |
| Marginal Markings: | |
| Front: | Header: Roy Lichtenstein 1923–1997 • Plate number in bottom 2 corners |
| Back: | ©2022 Estate of Roy Lichtenstein. All rights reserved. • ©2022 USPS • USPS logo • Two barcodes (483500) • Plate position diagram (4) • Promotional text |