The Postal Service will release stamps July 12 to honor the 100th anniversary of the birth of Andrew Wyeth, one of the most prominent artists of the 20th century.
Wyeth, whose realistic style defied artistic trends, created haunting and enigmatic paintings based largely on people and places in his life.
Finding endless inspiration in his hometown of Chadds Ford, PA, and rural Maine, he scrutinized the lives and personal belongings of the people around him, sometimes painting their portraits but just as often using objects and places to represent them.
His most iconic piece, “Christina’s World,” which he sold to the Museum of Modern Art in 1948, was inspired by Christina Olson, a paralyzed neighbor in Maine.
Wyeth received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1963 and the Congressional Gold Medal in 1990. He died in 2009.
Sites in Pennsylvania and Maine that influenced his work were recently designated as national historic landmarks.
The stamps honoring Wyeth will be dedicated in Chadds Ford and sold at usps.com and Post Offices nationwide.