Michael Flechtner
Michael Robert Flechtner (born June 19, 1951) is an American artist known for his work in neon art. In 2009 he was commissioned by the United States Postal Service to create the first-ever neon postage stamp for the Forever Stamp series. The "Celebrate" stamp was released in 2011.
Also recorded as Michael Robert Flechtner
Michael Flechtner
- Occupation
- designer
- Education
- Wichita State University
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Michael Robert Flechtner (born June 19, 1951) is an American artist known for his work in neon art. In 2009 he was commissioned by the United States Postal Service to create the first-ever neon postage stamp for the Forever Stamp series. The "Celebrate" stamp was released in 2011.
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wikidata · Q66685137 · wikipedia · Michael Flechtner
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Biography
The stamp was reissued in 2015, and the original 33 x neon is on exhibit at the Smithsonian National Postal Museum. Flechtner graduated with a degree in Fine Arts in 1981 from Columbus College of Art and Design. An Ohio native, with a Masters in Fine Art (sculpture & painting) from Wichita State University, Flechtner moved to Los Angeles in the mid-1980s, inspired first by the artist Stephen Antonakos and subsequent visit to the Museum of Neon Art (MONA), then located in Downtown Los Angeles. Flechtner now sits on MONA's advisory board. Flechtner says his fascination with light began when he was a child: "I’d go to church and see light streaming through the stained glass windows, my father, replacing bulbs sitting in a pile Christmas lights and various flavors of Jell-O." His public art includes "A Neon Aquarium" at the corner of Olympic and Sawtelle in Los Angeles, and installations in Minneapolis and Tokyo. In 2019 he began the physical reproduction and replacement of the neon signage at the drive-in movie theater in his home town of Tiffin, Ohio. Flechtner is the recipient of a J. Paul Getty Trust Fund Fellowship for the Visual Arts, the Botticelli Award, and Ford Foundation Award.
Michael Flechtner studied at Wichita State University.
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Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.NBC. SoCal Artist Creates First-Ever Neon Postage Stamp. nbclosangeles.com. 14 April 2011.
- 2.Arago People Postage and the Post. postalmuseum.si.edu.
- 3.Alumnus designs USPS's first neon stamp. My CCAD.
- 4.Modesti, Kevin. For Valley 'neon artist' – it's all about the light. dailynews.com. 22 January 2011.
- 5.Museum of Neon Art. about. mona.org.
- 6.csuci.edu. Neon art, printmaking and chambers of the heart explored at CI art shows.
- 7.Artillery Magazine. MICHAEL FLECHTNER: THIS IS NOT A SIGN. artillerymag.com.
- 8.Nye, Bret. First phase of Tiffin Drive-In neon sign restoration is complete. advertiser-tribune.com.
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 17 August 2026.
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