2015
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.
Superbly Free, Peter Max
By Peter Max
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Peter Max (1937) Title: Superbly Free Year: 2015 Medium: Watercolor and silkscreen on Fabriano paper Size: 11 x 15 inches Inscription: Signed in ink Notes: Published, printed...
Mixed Media, Watercolor, Screen
Cosmic Profile, Peter Max
By Peter Max
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Peter Max (1937) Title: Cosmic Profile Year: 2003 Edition: 451/500, plus proofs Medium: Lithograph on Lustro Saxony paper Size: 3.5 x 3 inches Condition: Excellent Inscriptio...
Lithograph
Zero Man/Lady Profile, Peter Max
By Peter Max
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Peter Max (1937) Title: Zero Man/Lady Profile Year: 2015 Medium: Watercolor and silkscreen on Fabriano paper Size: 15 x 15 inches Inscription: Signed in ink Notes: Published,...
Mixed Media, Watercolor, Screen
Zero Man in Love, Peter Max
By Peter Max
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Peter Max (1937) Title: Zero Man in Love Year: 1997 Medium: Acrylic, lithograph on Arches paper Size: 8.5 x 10.5 inches Inscription: Hand signed Notes: Published, printed by ...
Mixed Media, Acrylic, Lithograph
Better World, Peter Max
By Peter Max
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Peter Max (1937) Title: Better World Year: 1998 Medium: Acrylic, lithograph on Arches paper Size: 14 x 12 inches Inscription: Hand signed Notes: Published, printed by Via Max...
Mixed Media, Acrylic, Lithograph
On a Distant Planet, Peter Max
By Peter Max
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Peter Max (1937) Title: On a Distant Planet Year: 1978 Edition: H.C. 9; aside from the edition of 165 Medium: Silkscreen on Somerset paper Size: 26.5 x 20.75 inches Conditio...
Lithograph
Cosmic Profile, c. 1989
By Peter Max
Located in Philadelphia, PA
(Unique) 1/1 edition Max, Peter Cosmic Profile, c. 1989 Mixed media with watercolor and serigraphy on paper 12 x 13 3/4 in.
Watercolor, Screen
Cosmic Profile Mixed Media Drawing, Watercolor on Paper, Signed
By Peter Max
Located in Aventura, FL
Original mixed media drawing with watercolor on paper. Hand signed by Peter Max. Frame size 18 x 20 inches. Artwork size 12 x 13.75 inches. Artwork is in excellent condition. Cer...
Paper, Mixed Media, Watercolor
Peter Max Unique Watercolor, 1990, Signed, Cosmic Profile
By Peter Max
Located in Washington, DC
Artist: Peter Max Title: Cosmic Profile Medium: Unique watercolor and mixed media on paper Date: ca. 1990s Edition: One of a kind Sheet Size: 12" x 13 3/4" Frame Size: 19 3/8" x 20 7...
Mixed Media
From Another Planet, Unique Hand Embellished Lithograph, Signed, Pop Art, 1980
By Peter Max
Located in Aventura, FL
Hand signed, dated and inscribed "Study" by the artist. Hand embellished by the artist. A unique variation. Artwork is in excellent condition. Certificate of Authenticity included....
Paper, Lithograph
Better World Version I
By Peter Max
Located in Missouri, MO
Better World Version I Peter Max (German, b. 1937) Acrylic on Canvas 24 x 9.75 inches 36 x 21.5 inches with frame Signed lower right Known throughout the world and a household name in America, Max is known for his new age style cosmic imagery and multi-colored blends. During the late 60's and early 70's his colorful art reached millions of people and he won numerous major awards for his work. His paintings, drawings and limited edition graphics have been exhibited in major museums throughout the world. He works in multiple media, including oil, acrylics, water colors, fingerpaints, dyes, pastels, charcoal, pen, multi-colored pencils, etchings, engravings, animation cels, lithographs, serigraphs, ceramics, sculpture, collage, video, xerox, fax, and computer graphics. He also includes mass media as a "canvas" for his creative expression. Peter Max was born in Berlin, Germany, and spent his childhood in Shanghai. From China, the family went to Tibet for a year, and then on to Israel. His family's odyssey continued to Paris, and finally, at the age of 16, Max arrived in the United States. He began his art studies in New York at the Art Student's League and continued at the Pratt Institute and School of Visual Arts. Max often uses American symbols in his artwork and has done paintings and projects for presidents Ford...
Canvas, Acrylic
Profile, Pop Art Portrait by Peter Max
By Peter Max
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Peter Max, German/American (1937) Title: Profile Year: 1986 Medium: Acrylic on Canvas, signed u.r. Size: 40 in. x 30 in. (101.6 cm x 76.2 cm) Frame Size: 49.5 x 39.5 inches
Canvas, Acrylic
