Invader (1969) - I Invade Djerba

Artist: Invader (born 1969, France)
Title: I Invade Djerba
Date: 06/05/2021
Technique: Color offset lithography on perforated gummed paper
Format: Sheet of 12 stamps (3 rows × 4 columns)
Dimensions: 13.5 × 23 cm
Publisher: Tunisian Post Printing House
Face value: 4.0 dinars per stamp

A unique object at the crossroads of philately and global street art
In 2019, the French artist Invader carried out one of his most ambitious “invasions”: 58 tile mosaics scattered across the island of Djerba, Tunisia, in collaboration with the Paris gallery Itinerrance. The island became a giant game board, a one-of-a-kind Invaders hunt. Two years later, in May 2021, the Tunisian Post pays homage to this invasion by officially issuing a stamp series dedicated to “street art in Tunisia,” including this stamp I Invade Djerba — depicting the iconic blue mosaic alien with the inscription “I LOVE DJERBA.”
This complete sheet of 12 stamps, uncut, is presented in its original state, with the CMYK color control strips (black, cyan, magenta, yellow) in the lower margin — a sign of a first printing from the printer, just as it came off the presses. The backing gum is intact, the sheet has never been used.

The artist
Invader is one of the most important and most collected street artists in the world, alongside Banksy and Shepard Fairey. Since 1998, this anonymous French artist has “invaded” cities around the world — more than 80 cities on 6 continents — by installing his mosaics inspired by the Space Invaders video game. His works are held in the permanent collections of MoMA (New York), Tate Modern (London), and Centre Pompidou (Paris). In the art market, his signed prints and mosaics regularly reach from several thousand to several tens of thousands of euros at auction.
This official stamp represents one of the rare occasions when a national post officially integrated Invader’s work into its philatelic catalog — making this sheet a document of historical significance as well as a collectible object.

Condition & presentation
Excellent condition.