When Belgium issued their preliminary list for the 2022 program, it didn’t disappoint. BPost can never be accused of resting on it’s laurels. Stamps this year will create pyramids, open windows, and look like coins and records. It’s a nice mix of traditional design and adventurous layouts.
There was a lot to love with the 2021 program. With so many beautiful designs, it was hard to narrow down the top ones for the year. But, after going back and forth many times, I finally settled on two. The first was Thierry de Cordier‘s NADA.
Artist de Cordier was given a free hand in designing the entire stamp. The black with silver leaf impression must have provoked a thrill when it arrived on a cover. I’m a bit envious of anyone who received on. When I first looked at this stamp, I was … puzzled by it. It proved to be a work of art that kept bringing me back to look it over, again and again. Not quite sure why I like. I just do. That’s the thing about art. Sometimes you can’t explain why something attracts you. It just does.
But the best of the year from Belgium was illustrator Marjike Meersman’s Tricolours in Nature.
The colours on this set are vibrant and striking. its hard to take your eyes off them. Even the spider is attractive, and coming from an arachnophobe, that is damned high praise. I was pleased to see Marjike Meersman return for 2022. October will see her new Vegetables series released. I enjoy her illustrations and I think it’s time to create a page on Meersman for the Designers index, don’t you?
Also returning for design duties are Myriam Voz and Guillaume Broux who team up for another edition of City Squares. This year features the city of Charleroi. Fans of Voz and Broux should be happy this year. They work their magic on another set Medicinal Plants as well as working with other artists and designers.
And no discussion of Belgium stamps is complete without a mention of the incredible Kris Maes. Kris’ Geometry in Nature series comes to an end after 5 years, with a look at hexagon shapes. If you like Maes, then make sure you check out the 2 moody & beautifully detailed EUROPA stamps for the yearly competition. This year’s theme is Myths & Legends and I think it may turn into one of Europa’s best to date. Yes, even better than the 2020 Ancient Postal Routes, which was near and dear to my heart.
Two stories are incorporated into Belgium’s entry – Saint-Hubert the Hunter and Brabo en de reus Antigoon.
This souvenir sheet would look good poster sized, mounted and hung on the wall. Talk about atmospheric! Maes is a true master of design.
I’ll have more thoughts on the 2022 stamp year as we go along. Be sure to come back periodically to see if anything has been added.
January
100 Years of Bird Protection
2 stamps, souvenir sheet of 10, FD sheet, 2 cancels
Around one third of Belgian breeding birds endangered across Europe (brusselstimes.com)
Designer: Myriam Voz
Artist: André Buzin André Buzin Belgian animal designer (andrebuzin.be)
Buzin’s first stamps were the 1985 goldfinch and grosbec set. Since then, he has created artwork for over 300 stamps. His works appear on stamps from the DRC, Luxembourg, Rwanda, Senegal and Mauritania.
Buzin has won the Grand Prix de l’art philatélique in the following categories:
- Grand Prix du Roi.
- Ambassador Award and Best Drawing.
- Price of the city of Ghent.
- Grand Prize of the President of the Republic at the Salon d’Automne in Paris in 1997 for all his work on the series “Oiseaux“.
Release date: January 24, 2022
Wonderful Clouds
5 stamps, souvenir sheet of 10, FD sheet, 2 cancels
Cloud Types | UCAR Center for Science Education
- Stratocumulus
- Cumulus mediocrisAltocumulus
- Cumulonimbus capillatus
- Cumulus congestus
Designer: Kris Maes
Artist: Jan De Maesschalck
Zeno X Gallery – Jan De Maesschalck – Biography (zeno-x.com)
Release date: January 24, 2022
Iconic Belgian Coins: 20 Years of Introduction of the Euro
5 stamps, FD sheet, 2 cancels
- 1834 5 francs piece
- 1918 50 centimes piece
- 1963-1988 20 and 50 centimes Le Mineur
- 1987 50 francs
- 1999, the first Euro, portrait of King Albert II
Designer: Kris Maes
Release date: January 24, 2022
Regional Cheeses
5 stamps, souvenir sheet, FD sheet, 2 cancels
List of Belgian cheeses – Belgium Travel Guide – Eupedia
- Jersey milk cheese
- Blue-veined cheese
- Gouda – Beer Cheese
- Soft-paste cheese – Brussels cheese
- Herve cheese – Goat chees
- Trappist cheese – Abbey cheese
Master cheese maker Ann Keymeulen helped create this set. She picked each cheese and worked with designer Leen Depooter to setup and photograph the cheeses.
Designer: Leen Depooter
Depooter designed the 2021 Wines of Belgium set
Release date: January 24, 2022
March
Squares in the City of Charleroi
5 stamps, souvenir sheet, FD sheet, 3 cancels
- Saint Christopher’s Church – Copyright: Open Churches
- The Palace of Fine Arts
- The belfry
- L’hôtel de ville – Copyright: Maxime Delvaux
- The Golden House – Copyright: Carolography
Designer: Myriam Voz
Engraver: Guillaume Broux
Voz and Broux teamed up for last year’s City Squares set. They have worked together on a number of stamps over the decades including 2020’s Abbeys and Monasteries, Contemporary Art – Berlinde De Bruyckere, Sculpture and 2019 Christmas stamps.
Release date: March 21, 2022
Geometry in Nature: the Hexagon
5 stamps, souvenir sheet, FD sheet, 3 cancels
This ends the 5 year series. The souvenir sheet’s border shows all 5 years worth of shapes: spirals, stars, pentagons, circles and hexagons.
- pineapple skin
- Collection of hexagons in nature
- honey cells
- butterfly egg
- hactus
Designer: Kris Maes
“As I used the same layout for five years, this series is very pretty when you put the five shapes side by side.”
Release date: March 21, 2022
Marc Sleen 100 – Nero 75
2 stamps, souvenir sheet, FD sheet, 3 cancels
Marc Sleen (1922 – 2016) was one of most prominent Flemish comic artists from the post-World War II period. He is best known for his comic series ‘Nero’ (1947-2002), which landed him a place in the 1992 edition of the ‘Guinness Book of Records’ for being the longest continuous comic strip in existence drawn by one single artist. Sleen drew ‘Nero’ from 1947 until 1992, producing two strips a day for a staggering 45 years without any notable assistance
Marc Sleen – Lambiek Comiclopedia
Designer: Myriam Voz
Artist: Dirk Stallaert
Stallaert worked as Sleen’s assistant, drawing Nero starting in 1992. A talented artist, Stallaert is nicknamed “the chameleon of comics”. Aside from assisting other graphic artists with their work, he has created his own original works like Nino (1989-1995) and Pakkeman en Poulet (2006-2010). Dirk Stallaert – Lambiek Comiclopedia
Release date: March 21, 2022
Want to Connect
1 stamp, sheet of 10, FD sheet, 3 cancels
Here are enlarged details from the stamp.
My drawings are often described as poetic, sensitive, mysterious and sometimes a bit dark images, immersed in warm colors and finished with a touch of peculiarity. I love unclear images, old photos, science fiction, nature, strange absurdities and endless stories to crawl away in, full of deep colors and unlikely heroes. Sassafras De Bruyn | Illustratie | Gent, België
Designer: Sassafras De Bruyn
De Bruyn is a graduate of St. Lucas Antwerp University College of Art & Design. She has illustrated over 10 books and written & illustrated her own.
Release date: March 21, 2022
Toots 100 – Toots Thielemans
1 stamp, souvenir sheet in shape of record with sleeve, FD sheet, 3 cancels
The sheet will be in the form of a vinyl record + record sleeve
Toots 100 | 100 years of Toots Thielemans
Designer: Kris Maes
Release date: March 21, 2022
June
EUROPA 2022: Myths and Legends
2 stamps on a souvenir sheet, FD sheet, 3 cancels
- Saint-Hubert the hunter
- Brabo en de reus Antigoon (volksverhalen.be)
Designer Maes created a collage of various legends and myths to decorate the bottom of the souvenir sheet.
Designer: Kris Maes
Release date: June 13, 2022
Medicinal Plants
5 stamps, souvenir sheet, FD sheet, 3 cancels
- narrow-leaved lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)
- Green mint (Mentha spicata)
- Marigold (Calendula officinalis)
- Sage officinalis (Salvia officinalis)
- Mayweed chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla)
Designer: Myriam Voz
Engraver: Guillaume Broux Belgische postzegelcatalogus / Broux | Tekenaar en graveur Guillaume Broux (wordpress.com)
Release date: June 13, 2022
Jean Capart and Egyptology in Belgium
5 stamps, souvenir sheet, FD sheet, 3 cancels
- Lid of Khonsutefnakht’s coffin (Inv. E.586)
- Funerary mask (Inv. E.6884)
- Head of a dignitary (Inv. E.2401)
- Relief of Queen Tiyi (Inv. E.2157)
- Small multicolored glass vase (Inv. E.6354)
This is a unique set. When the souvenir sheet is assembled it becomes a pyramid.
“How do you approach such a project? He must first determine a very precise way of cutting”, confides to us Sven Bellanger.
“There are different ways to proceed in creating a pyramid of paper. But I opted for a cutout which made it possible to create a diptych: a postage stamp with an Egyptian amphora and presentation of the subject. Then there are four sections to bend to create the three-dimensional shape. Each of these sections have an Egyptian object from the collection of the Museum of Art and History from Brussels. The postage stamp on the base, with the black amphora, jump directly to the eyes.
The four other objects on the four sides of the pyramid are rather beige and marry therefore perfectly between them. Sven Bellanger Philanews 2022 No. 2
Jean Capart, the father of Belgian egyptology | Focus on Belgium
Designer: Sven Bellanger Gallery — Natural & Scientific illustration (svenbellanger.be)
Release date: June 13, 2022
Together We Win!
2 stamps, souvenir sheet, FD sheet, 3 cancels
Artist and designer Davy Denduyver used a 90s grunge style for this set. He wrote ” I left the feeling of nostalgia that arouses in me with these postage stamp. This explains the small grunge touch, typical of my own youth.” He explained, in Philanews, that creating a work of art for such a small space created problems for him. He normally works on poster and large formats, so shrinking his art down to postage stamp size presented him with an interesting challenge. To achieve the effect he wanted, Denduyver broke his image into 2 stamps.
Designer: Davy Denduyver Davy Denduyver — Design & Direction
This is Denduyver’s first stamp for Belgium post:
“When I was asked to design a postage stamp, my first reaction was: “Holy shit! “. The thought had never even crossed my mind. could be a command for me. In this optics, it really was the dream job that I don’t didn’t even know it existed. And if in addition to this, I was given the opportunity to actually do my thing, you talk about a hell of a bonus”. Philanews 2022 N0 2
Release date: June 13, 2022
August
Planes on Humanitarian Missions
5 stamps, souvenir sheet, FD sheet, 3 cancels
- C-130
- Lockheed C-130 H Hercules
- Fairchild C-119F/G Flying Boxcar
- Westland Sea King Mk48
- Fairchild Wearingen Merlin
Engraver Guillaume Broux was the driving force behind this issue. He is a self confessed “wheels and motors” fanatic.
” I am absolutely delighted that my idea was taken up and that we involved me in its realization from start to finish. The nice composition by Kris Maes being for me the cherry on the cake!” Guillaume Broux talking about the series in Philanews 2022 No. 3.
Designer: Kris Maes
Engraver: Guillaume Broux
Release date: August 29, 2022
Dieric Bouts
5 stamps, souvenir sheet, special souvenir folder, FD sheet, 3 cancels
Dieric Bouts (Getty Museum)
Dieric Bouts | Flemish Primitives (vlaamsekunstcollectie.be)
A major exhibit of Bouts’ works will take place from October 20, 2023 to January 2024 at the M Museum Leuven.
From Philanews 2020 No. 3:
Dieric Bouts is a figurehead among the Flemish Primitives. This painter was one of the first of the Lage Landen (Netherlands and Belgium) to apply perspective lines. He was also the first to incorporate religious scenes in an atmosphere terrestrial, everyday. We immerse ourselves in his masterpieces that can be admired in Belgian museums.
Designer: Kris Maes
Release date: August 29, 2022
Koen Vanmechelen – Chickens
1 stamp, booklet of 10, FD sheet, 3 cancels
Cosmopolitan Chicken Project (CCP) HOME | koenvanmechelen
Chickens make cool subjects.
Designer: Koen Vanmechelen HOME | koenvanmechelen
Layout: Myriam Voz
Release date: August 29, 2022
Frogs of Belgium
5 stamps, souvenir sheet, FD sheet, 3 cancels
- Tree Frog | Hyla arborea AmphibiaWeb – Hyla arborea
- Moor Frog | Rana arvalis AmphibiaWeb – Rana arvalis
- Marsh Frog | Pelophylax ridibundus AmphibiaWeb – Pelophylax ridibundus
- Common Frog | Rana temporaria AmphibiaWeb – Rana temporaria
- Pool Frog | Pelophylax lessonae AmphibiaWeb – Pelophylax lessonae
The new postage stamp collection for 2022 by Bpost has been announced and I’m very excited to be part of it! My first ever postage stamps will be about Belgian frog species. The new collection catalogue was also joined with an exclusive print of one of the frogs. I had great fun observing them in the field last spring and working on the composition of the sheet. NEWS (jorisderaedt.com)
Designer: Joris De Raedt Scientific illustrator | Joris De Raedt
Release date: August 29, 2022
October
Reopening of the KMSKA – Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp
5 stamps, souvenir sheet
Designer: Kris Maes
Release date: October 24, 2022
Young People are Building the Future
(Youth Philately)
2 stamps, sheet of 10
- Together We Bloom
- What Comes Next is What We Are
Designer: Zoé Komkommer and Lennert Berx in collaboration with la LUCA School of Arts
Layout: Myriam Voz
Release date: October 24, 2022
Christmas stamp: Christmas under all its forms
2 stamps, 2 booklets of 10
Designer: Myriam Voz
Release date: October 24, 2022
Mourning stamp
1 stamp, booklet of 10
Designer: Kris Maes
Release date: October 24, 2022
Booklet of 50 postage stamps: vegetables
10 stamps, booklet of 50
Designer: Marijke Meersman
Intro | Marijke Meersman illustrator
Release date: October 24, 2022
You can check out all the stamps from 2021
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There is no doubt that belgium is today the most innovative country in terms of philately. There’s a downside, in my opinion, which is the huge variation in sizes between sheetlets, going from A4 to much smaller formats, so that you can’t find, practically, two sheetlets of the same size. Now, collecting sheetlets is not the same as collecting isolated stamps or blocks of 4. There is a lot of difficulty in organizing the sheets, while the stamps or quatrains behave well in albums or classifiers.
Therefore, despite the qualities of Belgian stamps, I have avoided buying them precisely because of this problem. Please note that France, which recently started to launch its gummed stamps in sheetlets, adopted a diametrically opposite attitude to Belgium, opting for sheetlets of exactly the same size, regardless of the size of the stamps. It’s good for collectors, I think.
That’s interesting about France. Appreciate the heads up. It’s difficult enough keeping up with the volume of stamps, let alone what feels like random variations in sizing.