Peter Max is an American artist, who represents Pop Art movement. His illustrations incorporate a wide spectrum of colors and patterns, as seen in his "Umbrella Man" series. The artist created paintings of such American presidents, as Ford, Carter, Reagan and Bush in addition to his "100 Clintons" — a multiple portrait installation. He is the author of designs for the ad campaigns of several high-profile brands, including 7-Up and Chrysler.
Background
Peter Max was born on October 19, 1937 in Berlin, Germany. He is the son of Salla Finkelstein and Jacob Finkelstein. In 1938, the family left Berlin in order to escape the fomenting Nazi movement and settled down in Shanghai, China, where they lived for the next ten years. In 1948, they settled in Israel. In the early 1950's, the family left for the United States.
Education
Initially, Max studied at Lafayette High School in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. In 1956, he enrolled at Art Students League of New York, where Frank J. Reilly was his mentor. After the League, Max became interested in the avant-garde and started to attend the progressive School of Visual Arts.
In 1962, together with his friend Tom Daly, Max established a small Manhattan art studio, known as "The Daly & Max Studio". In their studio, they worked on books and advertising, for which they received recognition. In 1966, while working on a film in Paris, Max met Swami Satchidananda, who introduced him to yoga and a deeper understanding of Eastern spirituality. Being inspired, Max invited Swami to stay with him in the United States, helping him to establish the Integral Yoga Institute. Some time later, on August 15, 1968, Max appeared on "The Tonight Show".
In 1970, the artist's works were shown at the exhibition "The World of Peter Max", which opened at the M.H. de Young Memorial Museum in San Francisco. In 1981, Max was invited by Nancy Reagan, who was the First Lady during that time, to paint portraits of the Statue of Liberty at the White House. Thanks to this project, Max was able to work with Lee Iacocca to initiate a project, that would save the deteriorating Statue of Liberty. Due to Max’s involvement, the restoration project raised enough funds to restore the worn landmark and reopen it to the public in July 1986.
In 1989, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Woodstock Festival, Peter created the world’s largest rock and roll stage for the Moscow Music and Peace Festival — a landmark rock-music event, promoting world peace and international cooperation between the United States and Russia. In 1994, he designed the artwork for progressive rock band Yes's fourteenth studio album "Talk". In 2000, Max was commissioned to paint a Continental Airlines Boeing 777 super jet. In 2006, the artist was selected to be the official artist for the United States Olympic Team at the Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy.
In 2009, Max presented his "44 Obamas" installation to commemorate President Obama’s Inauguration as the 44th United States President on CBS’s The Early Show. In 2010 and 2013, Peter painted portraits of Taylor Swift’s cover from her first four hit albums. In 2013, he also painted portraits of Hollywood legend Marilyn Monroe, using the archives of the great fashion photographer Milton Greene. The same year, Norwegian Cruise Lines commissioned the artist to paint the hull of its Breakaway ship. In 2015, for the Frank Sinatra Centennial, Max created Sinatra portraits and unveiled them at his New York studio. Two years later, in 2017, Max produced the cover for the August/September issue of AARP magazine.
Peter has also been the official artist for numerous major events, such as the Grammy Awards, the 1994 World Cup and the Super Bowl. Currently, Peter Max collaborates with several mass media. He also continues to work with painting, graphics and sculpture.
Max is an environmentalist, vegan and supporter of human and animal rights.
Quotations:
"I never know what I'm going to put on the canvas. The canvas paints itself. I'm just the middleman."
"If I didn't choose art, I would have become an astronomer."
"Don't worry about mistakes. Making things out of mistakes, that's creativity."
"I'm just wowed by the universe. I'm just glad to do something I love to do. I love color, I love painting, I love shapes, I love composition, I love the people around me. I'm adoring it all. My legacy is in the hands of other people."
Connections
Max had a nine-year-long relationship with a musician and model Rosie Vela, that lasted until 1985.
Elizabeth (Liz) Nance was the artist's first wife. The couple gave birth to two children — Adam Cosmo Max and Libra Astro Max. Later, Peter married his second wife, Mary Max.