A blank canvas? Isn’t there a design missing? What is Swiss Post trying to tell us with this special stamp – which is undoubtedly the right name for it? The answer to the puzzle is as striking as it is obvious. Canvas is the classic backcloth for paintings and, as such, has come to symbolize art in general. Because it’s blank, it represents art not yet created – perhaps due to a lack of funding. Swiss Post has been promoting and collecting contemporary art since 1924. The collection that it has put together comprises around 400 works and a nationwide portfolio of art in architecture pieces. In 2020, a new art strategy was devised. The new commitment to art is based on three spheres: the art collection, art in architecture and a partnership with art events in the periphery. Swiss Post plays a pioneering role when it comes to corporate art collections and promoting culture in Switzerland – and that’s exactly what the new special stamp set aims to raise awareness of. The first in the series is this stamp dedicated to Swiss Post’s traditional art collection. Switzerland has never had a stamp made purely of canvas before. That’s why a making-of film was also produced for this very special stamp.

The current stamps remain valid and their value can be increased using the three “Coins” supplementary stamps worth 5, 10 and 20 centimes respectively.