U.S. Postal Service Dedicates Modern Art in America, 1913 - 1931 Forever Stamps

NEW YORK, March 7, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The influential works of 12 American modern artists were honored today by the United States Postal Service and the Armory Show with the dedication of the Modern Art in America, 1913 — 1931 stamps. The ceremony took place 100 years after the first Armory Show, a groundbreaking international exhibition which offered many a first look at modern art.

Richard Uluski, U.S. Postal Service vice president, Northeast Area Operations, was joined in the ceremony by Noah Horowitz, managing director, The Armory Show; Valerie Paley, vice president, Scholarly Programs and New York Historical Society and honored guest, Dorothy Vogel, The Vogel Collection.

"The Postal Service began issuing postage stamps more than 150 years ago and we understand the power in these miniature works of art to celebrate American heritage history and culture," said Uluski. "These vivid stamps — a lasting tribute to 12 amazingly talented artists — will grace letters and packages sent to millions of households and businesses throughout the country."

The Modern Art in America, 1913 — 1931 commemorative First-Class Mail Forever stamps are 46 cents each and are offered in panes of 12 stamps, priced at $5.52 per pane.

The masterpieces reproduced on the Modern Art in America stamps include House and Street (1931), Stuart Davis; I Saw the Figure 5 in Gold (1928), Charles Demuth; The Prodigal Son (1927), Aaron Douglas; Fog Horns (1929), Arthur Dove; Nude Descending a Staircase, No. 2 (1912), Marcel Duchamp; Painting, Number 5 (1914-15), Marsden Hartley; Sunset, Maine Coast (1919), John Marin; Razor (1924), Gerald Murphy; Black Mesa Landscape, New Mexico/Out Back of Marie's II (1930), Georgia O'Keeffe; Noire et Blanche (1926), Man Ray; American Landscape (1930), Charles Sheeler; and Brooklyn Bridge (1919-20), Joseph Stella. Art director Derry Noyes worked on the stamp pane with designer Margaret Bauer.To learn more about the stories behind the stamps, visit beyondtheperf.com.

Customers may purchase the Modern Art in America, 1913 - 1931 stamps at usps.com/stamps, at 800STAMP24 (800-782-6724) and at Post Offices nationwide. Many of this year's other stamps may be viewed on Facebook at facebook.com/USPSStamps, via Twitter @USPSstamps or at beyondtheperf.com/2013-preview.

First-Day-of-Issue Postmarks
Customers have 60 days to obtain the first-day-of-issue postmark by mail. They may purchase stamps at a local Post Office, The Postal Store at usps.com/stamps, or by calling 800-STAMP-24. Customers should affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes (to themselves or others), and place them in larger envelopes addressed to:

Modern Art in America 1913-1931 Stamps
Postmaster
421 Eighth Ave., Rm. 2029B
New York, NY 10199-9998

After applying the first-day-of-issue postmark, the Postal Service will return the envelopes by mail. There is no charge for the postmark and all orders must be postmarked by May 7, 2013.

First-Day Covers
The Postal Service also offers first-day covers for new stamp issues and Postal Service stationery items postmarked with the official first-day-of-issue cancellation. Each item has an individual catalog number and is offered in the quarterly USA Philatelic catalog, online at usps.com/stamps or by calling 800-782-6724. Customers may request a free catalog by calling 800-782-6724 or writing to:

U.S. Postal Service Catalog Request
PO Box 219014
Kansas City, MO 64121-9014

Philatelic Products
Ten philatelic products are available for this stamp issue:
579606, Press Sheet with Die Cuts, $22.08. (print quantity of 2,500).
579608, Press Sheet without Die Cuts, $22.08. (print quantity of 2,500).
579610, Keepsake (Pane & Digital Color Postmark Set of 12), $24.95.
579616, First-Day Cover Set of 12, $10.80.
579618, First-Day Cover (Full Pane), $8.02.
579619, First-Day Cancelled (Full Pane), $8.02.
579621, Digital Color Postmark Set of 12, $19.32.
579630, Ceremony Program (random single), $6.95.
579631, Stamp Deck Card, $0.95.
579632, Stamp Deck Card w/Digital Color Postmark (random single), $1.96.

A self-supporting government enterprise, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation: 152 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes. The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations. With more than 31,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, usps.com, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $65 billion and delivers nearly 40 percent of the world's mail. If it were a private-sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 42nd in the 2012 Fortune 500. The Postal Service has been named the Most Trusted Government Agency for seven years and the fourth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute.

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SOURCE U.S. Postal Service