Roy Lichtenstein
Salute to Airmail, 1968, published in 1969 and 1986
Catalogue Raisonné: RLCR 1637,
Solid silver, 1968, published in 1986
5 1/2 x 3 1/2 x 1 1/2 inches
This example: edition number 36/50
With original black plexiglas base
With the Artist's initials incised on bottom and stamp numbered "36/50" on sculpture edge.
Condition
Excellent condition
Literature
Theil, Andrea. Salute to Airmail, c. 1968, published 1969 and 1986, RLCR 1637, Roy Lichtenstein: A Catalogue Raisonné. New York: Roy Lichtenstein Foundation, other examples reproduced.
Exhibition
Jewish Museum, New York,
Superlimited: Books, Boxes and Things, April 16–June 29, 1969, another example exhibited.
Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, Multiples: The First Decade, March 5–April 4, 1971, another example exhibited.
3 Metal Versions
Solid silver: Edition of 50 + 4 AP's
Chromium-plated copper: Edition of 48 + 4 AP's
Polished bronze: Edition of 50 + 4 AP's
1969 Edition
Edition Numbers: 1–30: cast in Solid silver, Chromium-plated copper, Polished bronze
Publisher: International Collector's Society, NY
Fabricators: Medallic Art Company, NY: cast in 3 metals; Robert Kulicke, NY: black plexiglas base
1986 Edition
Edition Numbers: 31–50: cast in Solid silver, Polished bronze
Edition Numbers: 31–48: cast in Chromium-plated copper
Publisher: James Goodman Gallery, Inc., NY
Fabricators: Medallic Art Company, Danbury, CT. cast in 3 metals; Robert Kulicke, : black plexiglas base.
About
In 1968, the International Collectors Society, NY, commissioned Roy Lichtenstein to create Salute To Airmail, a limited edition multiple sculpture to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the United States Airmail Service (1968) and the United States International Airmail Service (1969). 148 numbered examples + 12 AP's of Salute To Airmail were published in 3 numbered editions of 50, 48 and 50, respectively, and 4 AP's for each edition.
In 1969, more than half of the numbered edition was published by the International Collectors Society, NY, and fabricated and cast in three metals by the Medallic Art Company, NY. With the artist’s permission, the remainder of the edition was published in 1986 by the James Goodman Gallery, NY. Once again, the Medallic Art Company, NY., fabricated and cast Salute To Airmail in solid silver, chromium-plated copper and polished bronze.
About Joseph K. Levene Fine Art, Ltd.
Before establishing Joseph K. Levene Fine Art, Ltd. in 1991, Joseph K. Levene was President/Chief Operating Officer, Petersburg Press, Inc., the International publisher of limited editions by David Hockney, James Rosenquist, Howard Hodgkin, Roy Lichtenstein, Jim Dine, Frank Stella and Jasper Johns, including these iconic gems: 0-9 (ULAE 155), 1975, 0-9, Set of 10 Numbers (ULAE 156-165), 1975, Corpse and Mirror (ULAE 167), 1976, Target With Four Faces (ULAE 203), 1979, Target with Plaster Casts (ULAE 208), 1979-80.
In 2018 Joseph K. Levene Fine Art, Ltd. loaned multiple Andy Warhol works to Andy Warhol—From A to B and Back Again, the Andy Warhol retrospective at the Whitney Museum of American Art, which subsequently traveled in 2019 to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and in 2020 to the Art Institute of Chicago. Most recently Joseph K. Levene Fine Art, Ltd. loaned three George Condo paintings to the George Condo Retrospective at the Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris from October 10, 2026 to February 15, 2026. Organized in collaboration with George Condo, this was the most significant museum exhibition of George Condo’s work. Presented thematically, the 200 work retrospective included 80 paintings, 110 drawings and 20 sculptures.
