Announced by the USPS on October 24, 2022.
The work of the iconic American artist of the pop art movement, Roy Lichtenstein (1923-1997) is celebrated with a stamp issuance in his honor. Each of the five stamps in this pane of 20 features one work of art by Lichtenstein: “Standing Explosion (Red)” (porcelain enamel on steel sculpture, 1965); “Modern Painting I” (oil and 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); and “Portrait of a Woman” (oil and magna on linen, 1979). The selvage features a photograph of Lichtenstein by Bob Adelman with the artist’s face framed by a model of his 1983 sculpture Brushstrokes in Flight. Derry Noyes served as art director and designer for this issuance.
New information will appear below the line, with the most recent at the top.
Updated June 6th:
Here are the Scott catalogue numbers for this issue:
5792 Standing Explosion (Red), 1965
a. Imperforate
5793 Modern Painting I, 1966
a. Imperforate
5794 Still Life with Crystal Bowl, 1972
a. Imperforate
5795 Still Life with Goldfish, 1972
a. Imperforate
5796 Portrait of a Woman, 1979
a. Imperforate
b. Horiz. strip of 5, #5792-5796
c. Imperforate horiz. strip of 5, #5792a-5796a
Updated March 24th from the Postal Bulletin:
On April 24, 2023, in New York, NY, the United States Postal Service® will issue the Roy Lichtenstein stamps (Forever® priced at the First-Class Mail® rate) in five designs, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) pane of 20 stamps (Item 483500). These stamps will go on sale nationwide April 24, 2023, and must not be sold or canceled before the first-day-of-issue. The Roy Lichtenstein commemorative pane of 20 stamps must not be split and the stamps must not be sold individually.
With these stamps, the Postal Service™ honors Roy Lichtenstein (1923–1997), the iconic American artist of the pop art movement. Each of the five stamps in this 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). [right]
- Still Life with Crystal Bowl (acrylic, oil, graphite pencil on canvas, 1972).
- Still Life with Goldfish (acrylic, oil, graphite pencil on canvas, 1972).
- Portrait of a Woman (acrylic, oil, graphite pencil on canvas, 1979).
The selvage features a photograph by Bob Adelman of Lichtenstein, his face framed by a 
model of his 1983 sculpture, Brushstrokes in Flight. Derry Noyes served as art director and designer for this issuance.
No automatic distribution.
How to Order the First-Day-of-Issue Postmark:
Customers have 120 days to obtain the first-day-of-issue postmark by mail. They may purchase new stamps at their local Post Office™ or at The Postal Store® website at store.usps.com/store/home. They must affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes (to themselves or others), and place them in a larger envelope 
addressed to:
FDOI – Roy Lichtenstein Stamps
USPS Stamp Fulfillment Services
8300 NE Underground Drive, Suite 300
Kansas City, MO 64144-9900
After applying the first-day-of-issue postmark, the Postal Service will return the envelopes through the mail. There is no charge for the postmark up to a quantity of 50. There is a 5-cent charge for each additional postmark over 50. All orders must be postmarked by August 24, 2023.
Technical Specifications:
Issue: Roy Lichtenstein Stamps
Item Number: 483500
Denomination & Type of Issue: First-Class Mail Forever
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
First Day Postmarks:
The Digital Color Postmark for this issue measures 2.82″ x 1.49″
The pictorial postmark measures 2.54″ x 1.23″
Updated March 22nd:
[ceremony details] [click on any of the pictures for larger versions]
Artist Roy Lichtenstein’s Work To Appear on Five StampsWhat: The U.S. Postal Service will honor American artist Roy Lichtenstein with five commemorative Forever stamps featuring his colorful pop art.
The first-day-of-issue event for the stamps is free and open to the public. News of the stamps is being shared with the hashtag #RoyLichtensteinStamps.
Who: Tom Marshall, U.S. Postal Service general counsel and executive vice president, will serve as dedicating official.
When: Monday, April 24, at 11:30 a.m. ET
Where:
Whitney Museum of American Art
Susan and John Hess Family Theater
99 Gansevoort Street
New York, NY 10014
RSVP: Attendees are encouraged to RSVP at usps.com/roylichtenstein.
Background: Roy Lichtenstein (1923-1997), the iconic American artist of the pop art movement, 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 over 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.
VSC: The five works on the stamps, left to right, are
- Standing Explosion (Red)
- Modern Painting I
- Still Life with Crystal Bowl (at the Whitney)
- Still Life with Goldfish
- Portrait of a Woman
Updated January 10th:
These stamps will be issued Monday, April 24th, in New York City. Lichtenstein’s studio in Greenwich Village was donated (“gifted”) to the Whitney Museum of American Art and is being refurbished now. He worked there from 1988 to 1997.
