click image to enlarge
One of several UMMA pieces featured on postage stamps
Artwork Title: LOVE
Artist: Robert Indiana
1967, color lithograph on paper, Gift of David L. Chambers and John G. Crane, 2002/1.234
“I am a father to a bad child,” pop artist Robert Indiana told the New York Times in 2013, about his iconic LOVE design. “It bit me.”

Originally designed as a Christmas card for MoMA in the 1960s, Indiana bemoaned the fact that his design found its way onto a variety of mass-produced posters, cheap jewelry, and the like. You’ve seen it before, likely in both print and sculpture form—the red L and tilted O stacked on top of a V and E. UMMA has a 1967 lithograph of the work, which was issued as an 8-cent US postage stamp in 1973. This image was the very first in the USPS’s series of Love stamps, which is updated every year and a popular purchase for people sending out wedding invitations and Valentine's Day cards.

Reflection Prompts:
  • Postcards and greeting cards are often the best-selling items in museum shops. Have you ever bought one? Did you mail it or save it?
  • Do you like sending and receiving letters? How do you connect with family and friends during the pandemic? Write to someone you LOVE.
  • Who could use a care package now? Reflect on who you know who may feel disconnected and reach out to them by delivering a unique bundle of love. 
Explore Art From UMMA's Collection Featured on US Postage Stamps

For more than a century, having something or someone featured on a US Postage Stamp has been a marker of cultural or historical importance, a symbol of notoriety for everyone from the likes of Romare Bearden to Marilyn Monroe; and, as it turns out, several works in the UMMA collection. 
Image: @hopelessvulpes on Unsplash
Get Started Collecting!

Intrigued by stamps? Starting your own collection is easy. You might want to save stamps that come in your mail, or buy new sheets of designs you like. You could focus on stamps from a particular country, or just depicting animals. You can spend time organizing them in a specialized binder, or just tuck them all in an envelope. Up to you! Check out the American Philatelic Society's guide to getting started.
Virtual Exhibitions at the National Postal Museum

Though the National Postal Museum is currently closed, they have a variety of online exhibitions up right now. Check out their exhibitions about Lunar New Year stamps, the Pony Express, murals at post offices, and more.
© 2020 UMMA, All rights reserved.