Friedensreich Hundertwasser - Stamp Designer

As a result of inheriting his father's stamp colllection, contemporary Austrian artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser became interested in stamps and designed stamps for many countries including his native Austria as well as Cape Verde, Cuba, France, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Senegal and the United Nations.

According to Wikipedia, Hundertwasser first achieved notoriety for his boldly-coloured paintings, and is widely renowned today for his revolutionary architectural designs, which incorporated natural features of the landscape, and use of irregular forms.

Stamps magazine reports on its website that Hundertwasser once wrote, "A stamp must experience its destiny. A true stamp must feel the tongue of its sender when its glue is licked. It must experience the dark inside of the letterbox. The stamp must bear the postmark, it must feel the Postman's hand - a stamp that has not been sent on a letter is not a stamp as it has never lived. It is a precious piece of art that reaches everybody as a present from afar. The stamp must bear witness to culture, beauty and human creativity. The most viable mark of national identity becomes the most effective way to convey the message of harmony."

Following his passing in 2000, Austria issued a miniature sheet in his honor which is shown above.

To see more of his stamp designs, click here.