Italy Issues First Stamp Dedicated to Art Nouveau, Designed by Andrea Speziali

The Italian Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy will issue the country's first ordinary postage stamp dedicated to Art Nouveau in Italy, part of the 'Excellences of Italian Cultural Heritage' series. The stamp and its commemorative folder were designed by Andrea Speziali (born 1988, Rimini), an artist, researcher, and president of the Italia Liberty association. Speziali holds a PhD from the Academy of Fine Arts of Urbino and has exhibited at the Affordable Art Fair Amsterdam (2010), the 14th Beijing International Art Exposition (2011), and the 54th Venice Biennale (Italian Pavilion curated by Vittorio Sgarbi). The official stamp release will take place on July 6 in Rimini, inaugurating the eighth edition of Art Nouveau Week (July 8–14), a global festival Speziali founded that this year involves over 300 cities worldwide. In July, the Palazzo di Città in Bari will host a solo exhibition of Speziali's works alongside original Belle Époque lithographs. Speziali emphasizes that the stamp must evoke rather than illustrate, choosing a female face with sinuous hair and aquatic ornamental motifs to capture Art Nouveau's essence. He views the state recognition as both personal and civic, noting that Liberty style in Italy has long been undervalued as minor art. The Art Nouveau Week aims to bring the style back into streets and daily life, combining research and cultural tourism.