Some of the designers and engravers who worked on the Monaco 2021 stamps may be familiar to some readers. Design luminaires Elsa Catelin, Sophie Beaujard, Martin Mörck and the grandmaster of French engraving Pierre Albuisson made appearances throughout the year. It’s always exciting to see high quality engraving pop up. As you can tell, I’m a huge fan of intaglio stamps, so Monaco was a bit of a treat for my eyes.
Joining them is designer I came across earlier in the year, Russian artist/sculpture Elena Zaïka. She started Monaco’s year off with two stamps celebrating famous clowns. Although I’m one of those who never quite “got” clowns, I think Zaïka’s Yuri Nikulin Centenary stamp is a powerhouse filled with vibrant colours and tradition. It’s a great tribute to this still popular and much loved figure.
Car enthusiasts have some interesting stamps as well. The annual Legendary Racing Cars set features the work of two well known automotive artists, Fabrice Monaci and Michel Verrando. I’ve included links to more of their works below. The second offering is part of the Movies Filmed in Monaco series – The Infernal Circle, Henry Hathaway’s 1955 film about race car drivers. Ok, not a great view of the cars, but a good collectable.
The immensely popular EUROPA’s annual is here too. The 2021 topic Endangered National Wildlife produced a great year of stamps. You can see all of them on Europa page.
First Day Covers & cancels
I have to confess, I find Monaco’s covers disappointing. The same generic cover is used over and over, with no tie to the actual theme. I think I’ve been spoilt by Serbia’s magnificent covers including my favourite of the year, the Petar Manojlović dragon postcard FDC. Serbian artists use the entire envelope as their canvas so the FDC contributes to the overall theme. Unfortunately Monaco’s covers seem to be a bit of an afterthought. Check out the Serbian cover 2021 Serbian stamps – a visual feast and skip down to the Stamp Day issue and let me know what you think.
Monaco is redeemed by their cancels. FDCs are graced with some decent postmarks that, although not highly detailed, are still very collectable.
So, grab your espresso, settle in and enjoy a trip to Monaco through their stamps.
January
Yuri Nikulin Centenary
1 stamp on a souvenir sheet, FDC, cancel
Rotogravure / metallic gold ink / screen printing varnish
Yuri Nikulin | Clowns International has a fascinating biography on Nikulin.
Designer: Elena Zaïka
Zaïka also designed the April 2021 Yuri Nikulin stamp from the Kyrgyz Republic
Marka has a great write up on this stamp and the friendship between Elena Zaïka & Nikulin. Block for the Centenary of Yuri Nikulin (russtamp.com).
Release date: January 7, 2021
125th Anniversary Charlie Rivel
1 stamp on a souvenir sheet, FDC, cancel
Rotogravure / screen varnish / curve
Designer: Elena Zaïka
Release date: January 7, 2021
Opera Singers
2 stamps, 2 sheets of 6, 2 FDCs, cancel
Intaglio 3 colours & 5 colours
- Julian Gayarre – Biography – Julián Gayarre (juliangayarre.com)
- Caroline Miolan-Carvalho – Marie Caroline Miolan-Carvalho – Wikipedia
Designer & engraver of Gayarre stamp: Sarah Lazarevic
Lazarevic is also known for her typeface creations. Sarah Lazarévic (devroye.org)
Designer & engraver of Caroline Miolan-Carvalhor: Pierre Albuisson
You can see more of Albuisson’s work here Pierre Albuisson – Artiste Dessinateur – Maître Graveur (pierre-albuisson.com): He is considered the grandmaster of French engraving. He is the founder and chair of the Art du Timbre Gravé Association.
Albuisson also engraved and/or designed this years Dostoevsky, Proust and de la Fontaine stamps, and over 90 stamps over the course of his career. Check out his incredibly detailed work for TAAF So, you like cephalopods – an octopus stamp | Bitter Grounds Magazine
Release date: January 25, 2021
February
Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters
1 stamp, sheets of 10, FDC, cancel
Offset
Toute l’actualité – Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters (montecarlotennismasters.com)
Designer: © S.M.E.T.T.
Release date: February 12, 2021
Nivéole de Nice (Acis nicaeensis)
1 stamp, sheets of 10, FDC, cancel
Intaglio 5 colors
Artist: François Guol
Engraver: Elsa Catelin
Catelin is one of my favourite engravers/designers. She also designed and engraved the Feb 2021 Saint-Saëns stamps for Monaco.
You can see more of her work on her website Elsa Catelin | Philatélie, estampe, gravure et illustration. More illustrations of this stamp can be found on her site Monaco the Nivéole of Nice | Elsa Catelin
Release date: February 12, 2021
Centenary of International Hydrographic Organization
1 stamp, sheets of 10, FDC, cancel
Photogravure
Designer: Thierry Mordant Le Site Officiel – Thierry Mordant ® (thierry-mordant.com) and Thierry MORDANT – Annuaire des Artistes de Monaco
Mordant won the 2020 Yvert & Tellier cover competition with his “Monde Timbre” painting. He has also designed over 50 stamps during his career.
Release date: February 26, 2021
Centenary of Prince Albert I’s Ocean Speech
1 stamp, sheets of 10, FDC, cancel
Intaglio and offset
Designer & engraver: Sophie Beaujard – Art of engraved stamp (artdutimbregrave.com)
Beaujard’s first design was for Andorra (Sp) in 2010. This year, she created stamps for TAAF (Antarctic Treaty 2021), Napoleon I and Simone de Beaujard for France. The Napoleon I block won Grands Prix de l’Art philatélique 2021 in the intaglio stamp category.
Release date: February 26, 2021
Regattas of Kiel
1 stamp, sheet of 10, FDC, cancel
Intaglio and offset
Kieler Woche – Keine Woche ist wie diese (kieler-woche.de)
Designer: Martin Mörck MARTINMORCK.COM
Mörck is often compared to the great engraver Czesław Słania (who also engraved stamps for Monaco). He designed Monaco’s June Słania anniversary stamp.
Mörck has written a book about his work as an engraver of both stamps & bank notes titled By Mörck.
Release date: February 26, 2021
Centenary of Camille Saint-Saëns’ Death
1 stamp, sheet of 10, FDC, cancel
Intaglio and offset
Designer/engraver: Elsa Catelin
Release date: February 26, 2021
March
Legendary Racing Cars
3 stamps, 3 sheets of 10, 3 FDCs, cancel
Offset, photogravure
- Honda RA271 The RA271: A Detailed Look Back At Honda’s First F1 Track Car (hotcars.com)
- Williams Renault FW14B Williams Renault FW14B (sportscardigest.com)
- Stirling Moss Stirling Moss – Motion is tranquility
Artist Honda & Renault: Fabrice Monaci
Monaci’s first stamp design was the 2004 Palais de Justice for Monaco. He was involved in the 2020 Legendary Racing Cars set.
Artist Stirling: Michel Verrando PRESENTATION – Site Jimdo de art-auto-verrando!
Verrando specialises in automotive art. His artwork has appeared on 10+ stamps for Monaco’s post office.
Release date: March 5, 2021
International Bouquet Competition 2021
1 stamp, sheet of 10, FDC, cancel
Offset
Designer: Giuseppe Mazza
Release date: March 15, 2021
International Dog Exhibition
1 stamp, sheet of 10, FDC, cancel
Offset
Monaco International Dog Show (visitmonaco.com)
Photograph: © Société Canine de Monaco
Release date: March 15, 2021
UEFA EURO 2021
1 stamp, sheet of 10, FDC, cancel
Designer: Alain Giampaoli travaux graphiques – ILLUSTRATIONS – PEINTURES – PHOTOS A L A I N G I A M P A O L I ARTISTE plasticien GRAPHISTE (art DIRECTOR) (ARTLIFE)
Giampaoli’s first stamp was the 2006 Centenary of the Rolls-Royce car. He has illustrated a number of automotive stamps for Monaco post as well as the poster for the 11th Grand Prix 2018.
Release date: March 25, 2021
April
60th Monte-Carlo Television Festival
1 stamp, sheet of 10, FDC, cancel
Offset
Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer, Hotels, restaurants, casinos in Monaco (montecarlosbm.com)
Photographer: G. Lukomski – Archives du Palais princier de Monaco
Poster: A. Antzemberger – Monaco Mediax
Release date: April 12, 2021
Official Royal Family Photo
1 stamp, sheet of 6, FDC, cancel
Offset
Photographer: Éric Mathon
Release date: April 30, 2021
May
10th Anniversary of Royal Wedding
3 stamps on a souvenir sheet, FDC, cancel
Rotogravure and hot gilding
Designer: Éric Mathon and Gaetan Luci
Release date: May 6, 2021
25th Anniversary of ACCOBAMS
1 stamp, sheet of 10, FDC, cancel
Rotogravure / embossing / iridescent film
Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans of the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and contiguous Atlantic area (ACCOBAMS) Introduction | Accobams
Artwork: © ACCOBAMS
Designer: Créaphil
Release date: May 6, 2021
EUROPA 2021 – Long-snouted Seahorse
1 stamp, sheet of 10, FDC, cancel
Offset
Long-snouted seahorse | The Wildlife Trusts
Long-Snouted Seahorse – Profile | Traits | Habitat | Breeding – SeaFish (seafishpool.com)
Designer: Stefano Morri
Release date: May 6, 2021
Gustave Flaubert’s 200th Anniversary
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1 stamp, sheet of 10, FDC, cancel
Intaglio 3 colors
Designer/engraver: Yves Beaujard
Beaujard has been designing & engraving stamps for over 20 years. His first work appeared in 1999 with the intaglio stamp for Frédéric Ozanam. He was also the designer of the 2012 Marianne de l’Europe series. Beaujard is also well known as a book illustrator. Yves Beaujard (illustrator of C’est encore loin, la maison?) (goodreads.com)
Release date: May 25, 2021
Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-1881) 200th Anniversary
1 stamp, sheet of 10, FDC, cancel
Designer: Guéorgui Chichkine Georgy Shishkin: definition of Georgi Shishkin and synonyms of Georgi Shishkin (French) (leparisien.fr)
Russian born artist Chichkine has called Monaco home since 1998. His first stamp design was La Salle Garnier (engraved by Elsa Catelin) in 2005. He has designed over 15 stamps for Monaco.
Engraver: Pierre Albuisson
Release date: May 25, 2021
Marcel Proust 150th Anniversary
1 stamp, sheet of 10, FDC, cancel
Designer: Cyril de la Patelliere
Artist, sculpture de la Patelliere has also designed a number of stamps for La Poste, including the 1989 Marianne set. He has also designed stamps for French Polynesia, TAAF and 17 for Monaco, working with Albuisson for three prior issues (2003, 2013 and 2019).
Engraving: Pierre Albuisson
Release date: May 25, 2021
400th ANNIVERSARY OF THE BIRTH OF JEAN DE LA FONTAINE
1 stamp, sheet of 10, FDC, cancel
Intaglio 3 colors
Jean de La Fontaine – Wikipedia (in English)
Hungary issued an imaginative set, celebrating de la Fontaine’s birth, by designer Zsolt Vidák. Hungarian stamps 2021 from Magyar Posta | Bitter Grounds Magazine
Designer/engraver: Pierre Albuisson
Release date: May 25, 2021
June
Alberto Giacometti
1 stamp, sheet of 10, FDC, cancel
Offset
“You never copy the glass on the table; you copy the residue of a vision…Each time I look at the glass it has an air of re-making itself…it really always is between being and not being.” – Giacometti (1964)
Both the National Gallery of Canada and MOMA have great pages on Giacometti. The National Gallery’s biography is interesting and easy to digest. For a more extensive bio, head over the Giacometti Foundation.
Designer: © Alberto Giacometti Estate (Giacometti Foundation + ADAGP) Paris
Release date: June 17, 2021
10th Monaco Book Fair
1 stamp, sheet of 10, FDC, cancel
Offset
Designer: Joël Tchobanian Joël Tchobanian – Directory of Artists of Monaco (annuairedesartistes.mc)
Tchobanian also designed Monaco’s July SEPAC Old Maps stamp.
Release date: June 17, 2021
15th Monte-Carlo International Jumping Show
1 stamp, sheet of 10, FDC, cancel
Offset
Photographer: © Vanessa Von Zitzewitz Vanessa von Zitzewitz : Official Website
Release date: June 17, 2021
100th Anniversary of Czeslaw Słania’s birth
1 stamp, sheet of 6, FDC, cancel
Intaglio 3 colors
Słania was featured on a stamps this year from Greenland, Faroe Islands, Sweden and Poland.
The burin of Czeslaw Slania
Designer/Engraver: Martin Mörck
Release date: June 17, 2021
Château d’Effiat – Former Fiefdoms of Grimaldi
1 stamp, sheet of 10, FDC, cancel
Intaglio 6 colors
Chateau Effiat – Chateau-effiat.com
Designer/engraver: André Lavergne
Lavergne has designed over 300 stamps for La Poste (France), TAAF and Andorra (Fr).
Release date: June 28, 2021
July
SEPAC – Old Maps
1 stamp, 10 stamps, FDC, cancel
Offset
Map of Monaco 1914
Designer: Joël Tchobanian
Release date: July 19, 2021
The Nude in Art – Hercules and the Bull of Crétois
1 stamp, sheet of 6, FDC, cancel
Offset
Designer: © Archives of the Princely Palace of Monaco
Release date: July 19, 2021
September
“De Gati de Munegu”, the Monaco International Feline Exhibition
1 stamp, sheet of 10, FDC, cancel
Offset
Monaco International Cat Show (visitmonaco.com)
RECEPTION (gatidemunegu.com)
Designers: Marie-Christine Lemayeur and Bernard Alunni The presentation page of Marie-Christine Lemayeur and Bernard Alunni at La Gaude (06) (alunnilemayeur-arts.fr)
Release date: September 7, 2021
Princess Grace Hospital – Eugenio Benedetti Gaglio Association
1 stamp, sheet of 6, FDC, cancel
Offset
Designer: © Association Eugenio Benedetti Gaglio
Release date: September 7, 2021
28th Grande Bourse – numismatic and cartophile dealers and collectors
1 stamp, sheet of 10, FDC, cancel
Offset
Designer: Claude Gauthier Claude Gauthier – Directory of Artists of Monaco (annuairedesartistes.mc)
Release date: September 15, 2021
October
Film Posters Shot in Monaco
4 stamps, 4 sheets of 6, 4 FDCs, 4 cancels
Offset
- The Infernal Circle – Henry Hathaway’s 1955 film, The Racers
- Red Slippers -1948 British film by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger
- La Baie des Anges is a 1963 French film written and directed by Jacques Demy
- 1931 Swedish poster of the German film Bombs on Monte Carlo (Bomben auf Monte Carlo) directed by Hanns Schwarz
Release date: October 5 2021
25th Anniversary of the Museum of Stamps and Coins of Monaco Opening
4 stamps on a souvenir sheet, FDC, cancel
Intaglio and offset
Museum of Stamps and Coins of Monaco (mtm-monaco.mc)
Designer/engraver: Sophie Beaujard
Release date: October 15, 2021
November
Christmas
1 stamp, sheet of 10, FDC, cancel
Offset and hot gilding
Designers: Marie-Christine Lemayeur and Bernard Alunni
Release date: November 5, 2021
If you enjoyed the designers and engravers why not take a look at their work with La Poste? French stamps for 2021.
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