Peter Marks

Untitled (cacti)

c. 2004

Peter Marks (1935 -2010) Peter Marks was born in New York City on January 18, 1935. A lifetime New Yorker, Marks graduated from the High School of Music and Art in 1952 and Amherst College in 1956. After a brief stint as a graphic designer in publishing, Marks became a private art dealer and opened his gallery Peter Marks Works of Art, Inc. in 1960. During this time he specialized in the sale of Southeast Asian and Islamic antiquities and made many contributions to the field both as a dealer and an advocate of his profession. Above all, Marks was motivated by a strong desire to find great art and make it available to large audiences. After retiring from art dealing in 2002, Marks transformed his Manhattan gallery space into a studio where he drew prolifically and painted large non-objective canvasses. This time in his studio was a happy one for Marks, who viewed this period of his life not as retirement, but rather fulfillment, a fact that is confirmed by passionate artistic output in the years leading up to his passing in 2010. In 2012, Thomas French Fine Art acquired a large number of works by Peter Marks and now represents the estate. Works by the artist are in the Swope Art Museum, Terre Haute, Terre Haute, Indiana and the Stanley Museum of Art, Iowa City, Iowa.