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USPS News: Philatelic Releases
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 31, 2001
Stamp Release No. 01-079
Pop Art Icon Andy Warhol Debuts On U.S. Postage Stamp
NEW YORK - He made everyday objects, such as Campbell's soup cans, into works of art. Andy Warhol, a leading figure in the pop art movement, was unveiled on a new commemorative postage stamp this week.Introduced to the public for the first time, the Andy Warhol stamp unveiling took place at the Gagosian Gallery, one of the leading dealers of Warhol art in the country, 980 Madison Ave., New York, 10021. The new stamp will be issued in the summer of 2002.
New York Metro Area Vice President for the Postal Service, David L. Solomon, served as the unveiling official. Other guests at the event included film maker and producer Ric Burns, Bob Monk of the Gagosian Gallery and Martin Cribbs of The Andy Warhol Foundation.
Warhol's serial images of celebrities such as Marilyn Monroe and everyday objects are perhaps his best known works. His career also included ventures in design, photography, film, television, writing and publishing.
After graduating in 1949 from Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University) in Pittsburgh with a fine arts degree, Warhol moved to New York City and began his career as a commercial illustrator. By the mid-1950s Warhol had made a name for himself in the advertising world with his whimsical and award-winning illustrations. Warhol's paintings achieved instant notoriety in 1962 with his solo exhibition of the now famous Campbell's Soup Can paintings at the Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles.
His studio, known as the Factory, became a popular New York haunt for an eclectic group of artists, socialites, and musicians. Warhol's influence continues in art and film, as well as in a wide range of other creative endeavors throughout contemporary popular culture. Warhol died in New York City in 1987.
The stamp art features Andy Warhol's Self-Portrait, 1964. Based on a photo-booth photograph, the image of silk screen ink and synthetic polymer paint on canvas is one of several versions in varying colors. The work is now in the collection of The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, Penna. A detail of a photograph taken by Factory photographer Billy Name and entitled Andy with Self-Portrait, 1967 appears on the selvage.
To see the Andy Warhol stamp, visit the Postal Service website at www.usps.com and locate the online version of this press release by clicking on "News and Events" then "Philatelic News."
Current U.S. stamps and other philatelic products, as well as a free philatelic catalog, are available by calling toll free 1 800 STAMP-24. A selection of current stamps and gift items are also available online at the Postal Store at www.usps.com.
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