On January 20, Czech Post will issue its first stamp of 2023 honoring graphic artist and stamp designer Vladimír Suchánek as part of its Tradition of Czech Stamp Design series. Designed by Eva Hašková, the stamp has been printed in sheets of 50 stamps (750,000 copies) and in a booklet pane containing eight copies of the stamp plus two each of two different labels (printing run of 72,000 stamps). It measures 40 x 23 mm and carries a Non-Value Indicator of “B” which is the rate for an Ordinary Letter – Standard up to 50 g in domestic Economy service which cost 21 Czech koruna on the date of issue.

In its description of the stamp, Czech Post states:

A portrait of Vladimír Suchánek, complemented by a small drawing of a Harlequin in the typical hat and with a mask on his face, a detail of Suchánek’s 1978 lithograph Harlequin in Love. This is a pencil drawing on a computer-added background. One of the accompanying coupons in the booklet contains a detail of the drawing of a swan from the graphic sheet Leda and the Swan. The other portrays a girl’s face, transforming into a shell-shaped spiral. The front of the booklet features a cutout from one of Suchánek’s last lithographs, the Midnight Shell. The designer based the designs on Suchánek’s unique graphic art and chose typical, often recurring themes.

Česká pošta

The first day cover’s cachet features a photo from the designer´s own archive with Vladimír Suchánek playing the clarinet at her art exhibition. It is a reminder of the Grafičanka.There were 2,500 FDCs produced bearing a cancellation containing a shell motif and the text: “NOVÉ MĚSTO NAD METUJÍ, 20. 1. 2023”

Vladimír Suchánek was born on 12 February 1933 in Nové Město nad Metují. From 1952 until 1954 he studied at the Charles University in Prague under Professors Bouda, Lidický and Salcman,but dropped out. He graduated from the Pedagogical University in 1954 and subsequently attended the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague from 1954-1960 where he specialized in graphic arts under Professor Silovský. His studies were in graphic arts, painting, book illustrations, stamp designs and bookplates.

In the 1960s, Vladimír Suchánek was a member of a band called Grafičanka together with other stamp designers. Among the Czech stamps he designed he was also responsible for a joint issue release in 1997 commemorating the 1000th death anniversary of St. Adalbert. The design was released on stamps in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Germany, Poland and Vatican City.

Suchánek was a member of HOLLAR, the Association of Czech Graphic Artists. Since 1995, he served as President of the Association. In 1997, he was appointed a member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, based in Vienna. In 2006 he was awarded a state decoration – a Medal for service to art.

Suchánek displayed his work in 146 one-man shows in the Czech Republic. the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Japan, the United States, Sweden, Denmark, Poland and Slovakia as well as nearly 300 exhibitions including international biennales of graphic art in Ljubljana, Kraków, Paris, Trieste, Grenchen, Buenos Aires, Frechen, Bradford, Biella, Rijeka, Segovia, Tokyo, Heidelberg, Nuremberg, Malbork, Lodz, Frederikshavn, Berlin, Miami, Toronto, Fredrikstad and Beijing.

He created more than 300 bookplates for collectors from around the world. In the Czech Republic, he was also known mainly for his book illustrations and postage stamp designs. His work is represented in the collections of the National Gallery in Prague, the Albertina in Vienna, the Rockford Art Museum and in many other public and private collections in the Czech Republic and abroad.