Zen Max
View Similar Items
Peter MaxZen Max1972
1972
About the Item
- Creator:Peter Max (1937, American, German)
- Creation Year:1972
- Dimensions:Height: 20 in (50.8 cm)Width: 22 in (55.88 cm)
- Medium:
- Movement & Style:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:Buffalo, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU13922312591
Peter Max
Born Peter Max Finkelstein in Berlin in 1937, psychedelic Pop art icon Peter Max spent the first part of his childhood in Shanghai after his parents emigrated from Germany to flee the Nazis. While there, Max developed his deep interest in American pop culture — namely comic books, jazz and cinema. Max’s paintings, graphic design, prints and illustrations, which were inspired by these interests, were also informed by his experience with synesthesia, a sensory condition that causes him to see music and hear color.
After relocating to Haifa, Israel, then Paris, where he spent a significant amount of time in sketching classes at the Louvre, a teenage Max and his family finally moved to the United States, settling in Brooklyn. Max enrolled in the Art Students League of New York in 1956, training under Frank J. Reilly, and then the School of Visual Arts. Throughout art school, Max focused on photorealism, but he found the style too restrictive. When he graduated and opened his graphic design studio with friends in 1962, he began experimenting with abstraction and color — just in time for the psychedelic era.
The technicolor works for which Max would become known are characterized by big and bold graphic qualities — not dissimilar to what you’d find in his beloved comic books. Some deeper themes emerged across his work too: Max spent a good portion of the 1960s and 1970s creating his signature cosmic style, inspired by his fascination with astronomy and Eastern philosophies.
For Max and his partners, the graphic design business was highly successful, with commissions rolling in from advertising agencies, magazines and even Hollywood in the form of movie posters. The artist was featured on the cover of Life in 1969, and by the 1970s, he was practically a household name.
Max's body of work extended into product design, including a line of clocks for General Electric, while his domination of the commercial art scene continued for decades. He was commissioned to paint a postage stamp honoring the World’s Fair of 1974 (Expo ‘74); a Statue of Liberty series in which some proceeds went on to fund the statue’s restoration; posters and other advertising materials for major events like the Super Bowl, the U.S. Open and the Grammys; a Dale Earnhardt race car; and even the hull of the Norwegian Breakaway cruise ship.
Commercial activities aside, Max has long been the subject of many museum exhibitions, from his first solo show in 1970, “The World of Peter Max,” at the M.H. de Young Memorial Museum in San Francisco to 2016's “Peter Max: 50 Years of Cosmic Dreaming” at the Tampa Museum of Art in Florida. Today, his work belongs to the collections of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Philadelphia Museum of Art and other institutions.
Find original Peter Max lithographs, paintings, signed art and other works for sale on 1stDibs.
- "The Dream"By Peter MaxLocated in Buffalo, NYAn original hand signed and numbered lithograph by contemporary master artist Peter Max called "The Dream". This work is an artist proof and is designated "...Category
1980s Pop Art Figurative Prints
MaterialsLithograph, Paper
$1,920 Sale Price20% Off - Talking to KarenBy Peter MaxLocated in Buffalo, NYA very rare serigraph by Peter Max, created in 1979 called "Talking to Karen". This is one of Max's most collectible periods and works.Category
1970s Pop Art Figurative Prints
MaterialsPaper, Screen, Lithograph
$2,400 Sale Price20% Off - The MimeBy Peter MaxLocated in Buffalo, NYAn original contemporary Pop Art lithograph by American Artist Peter Max titled, "The Mime," featuring the classic figural work Max is most known and loved for. This piece was create...Category
1980s Pop Art Figurative Prints
MaterialsLithograph, Paper
$1,440 Sale Price20% Off - ReflectionsBy Will BarnetLocated in Buffalo, NY“Reflection, 1971” Medium: Color serigraph Signed and titled Ed: 121/225 Sheet: 30 x 23 in. Image: 22 x 14.5 in. Condition: ExcellentCategory
1970s American Realist Figurative Prints
MaterialsLithograph, Archival Paper
$2,400 Sale Price20% Off - Meditation and MinouBy Will BarnetLocated in Buffalo, NYArtist: Will Barnet, American (1911 - 2012) Title: Meditation and Minou Year: 1980 Medium: Lithograph and Serigraph on BFK Rives, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 40/150Category
1970s American Realist Figurative Prints
MaterialsLithograph, Archival Paper
- Tip of Broadway IIBy Lester JohnsonLocated in Buffalo, NYAn original lithograph created by Lester F. Johnson. This work was donated to Hallwalls Contemporary Art Center by the David K. Anderson Charitable Trust. All proceeds from the sal...Category
1970s Expressionist Figurative Prints
MaterialsLithograph, Paper
- UNTITLED (PLATE 6)By Keith HaringLocated in Aventura, FLFrom Untitled 1-6, Keith Haring's first series of printed works. Lithograph on Arches paper. Hand signed, dated and numbered in red crayon by the artist. Published by Barbara Gladsto...Category
1980s Pop Art Figurative Prints
MaterialsLithograph, Paper
$107,960 Sale Price20% Off - Navel OrangeBy Mel RamosLocated in Long Island City, NYArtist: Mel Ramos, American (1935 - 2018) Title: Navel Orange Year: 2013 Medium: Lithograph, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 36/999 Image Size: 8.5 x 7 inches Frame Size: 19....Category
2010s Pop Art Figurative Prints
MaterialsLithograph
- Spectacular : Surprised Girl - Original vintage lithograph poster, Maeght 1976By Jacques MonoryLocated in Paris, FRJacques Monory Spectacular : Surprised Girl, 1976 Original vintage lithograph poster Created for Monory's exhibition at Maeght Gallery On paper 60 x 45 cm (c. 24 x 18 in) Excelle...Category
1970s Pop Art Figurative Prints
MaterialsLithograph
- Careful : Wet Paint - Original lithograph, Handsigned - Limited /150By Valerio AdamiLocated in Paris, FRValerio ADAMI Careful : Wet Paint Original lithograph Handsigned in pencil Numbered /150 On vellum 67.5 x 50 cm (c. 27 x 20 inch) Excellent conditionCategory
1970s Pop Art Figurative Prints
MaterialsLithograph
- "Jenny Reefer" Lithograph by Robert IndianaBy Robert IndianaLocated in Long Island City, NYArtist: Robert Indiana, American (1928 - 2018) Title: Jenny Reefer from Mother of Us All Series Year: 1977 Medium: Lithograph on Arches, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 125/1...Category
1970s Pop Art Figurative Prints
MaterialsLithograph
- Light Shines Through a Book on the SinaiBy James RosenquistLocated in Long Island City, NY"Light Shines Through a Book on the Sinai" is an original lithograph by James Rosenquist to benefit The Associates of the American Friends of Israel Museum in 1980. The print is sign...Category
1980s Pop Art Figurative Prints
MaterialsLithograph