1989
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.
$340Sale Price / item|20% Off
H 1.25 in W 5.25 in D 5.25 in
Peter Max Pop Art Ceramic Ashtray by Iroquois
By Peter Max, Iroquois
Located in San Diego, CA
A very cool Peter Max pop art ceramic ashtray by Iroquois of Syracuse, NY, circa 1980s. There are three different ashtrays available; all are in excell...
Ceramic
$14,000
H 16.25 in W 12.5 in D 2 in
Peter Max Vase with Flowers 16” Acrylic Sculpture Signed 2016
By Peter Max
Located in Minneapolis, MN
Artist: Peter Max Title: Vase with Flowers (Ver II #96) Medium: Acrylic Sculpture Dimensions: 16.25" x 12.5" x 2" Year: 2016 Inscription: Signed "Max" on front Documentation: Include...
Acrylic, Acrylic Polymer
Woodstock Series, Profile on B
By Peter Max
Located in Missouri, MO
Peter Max (German, b. 1937) Woodstock Series, Profile on B Signed Lower Right 9 x 7 inches 25.5 x 23.5 inches with frame Peter Max, born Peter Max Finkelstein, is a multi-dimension...
Acrylic, Lithograph
$2,450
H 21 in W 30 in
Red Vase, Hand Signed Lithograph, Pop Art, HC Edition, 1982, 21 x 30 inches
By Peter Max
Located in Aventura, FL
Hand signed and numbered by the artist. Artwork is in excellent condition. Certificate of Authenticity included. Published by AMX Art Ltd., NY and printed by A Nussbaum, NY. HC edit...
Paper, Lithograph
Woman in Love
By Peter Max
Located in San Francisco, CA
This artwork titled "Woman in Love" 2008 is a mixed media on paper (Acrylic painting on lithograph) It is hand signed in acrylic paint at the upper right corner by the artist. The ar...
Mixed Media
Angel with Heart
By Peter Max
Located in Missouri, MO
Peter Max "Angel with Heart" 2018 Peter Max Studio Number: SN#836765 Medium: Acrylic Sculpture Dimensions: 14 x 9" x 4.5" Signed "Max" on front Signed and Dated in Pen on Base O...
Acrylic
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
Talking to Karen
By Peter Max
Located in Buffalo, NY
A very rare serigraph by Peter Max, created in 1979 called "Talking to Karen". This is one of Max's most collectible periods and works.
Lithograph, Paper, Screen
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
$10,800
H 21 in W 24 in D 1 in
Still Life Acrylic Painting on Canvas, Custom Framed, Signed, 21x25
By Peter Max
Located in Aventura, FL
Original acrylic painting on canvas. Hand signed upper front by Peter Max. Canvas size: 11 x 14 inches. Custom framed as pictured. Black frame and linen matting with hand painte...
Canvas, Acrylic
Zero, Pop Art Ceramic Cookie Jar by Peter Max
By Peter Max
Located in Long Island City, NY
A fun, vintage collectible by the indomitable Peter Max. The two piece jar is in new condition. Artist: Peter Max, German/American (1937 - ) Title: Zero Year: 1989 Medium: Ceramic Cookie Jar...
Ceramic
Zero's Friend, Pop Art Lithograph by Peter Max
By Peter Max
Located in Long Island City, NY
Peter Max, German/American (1937 - ) - Zero's Friend, Year: 1980, Medium: Lithograph, signed and numbered in pencil, Edition: 165, HC, Image Size: 22.5 x 19 inches, Size: 27 in....
Lithograph
Profile, Heart and Vase, Pop Art Etching by Peter Max
By Peter Max
Located in Long Island City, NY
Peter Max, German/American (1937 - ) - Profile, Heart and Vase, Year: circa 1981, Medium: Etching with Chine Colle, signed and numbered in pencil, Edition: PP 1, Image Size: 7 x ...
Etching
Zero Series Version 3, No. 2
By Peter Max
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Peter Max, German/American (1937 - ) Title: Zero Series Version 3, No. 2 Year: 1994 Medium: Acrylic on Canvas, signed upper right Size: 24 x 18 in. (60.96 x 45.72 cm) Frame S...
Canvas, Acrylic
Zero Megalopolis
By Peter Max
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Peter Max Title: Zero Megalopolis Year: 1989 Medium: Acrylic on Canvas, signed u.r. and studio stamp verso Size: 60 x 60 inches Frame: 67 x 67 inches
Canvas, Acrylic
Composition Red, Pop Art Lithograph by Peter Max
By Peter Max
Located in Long Island City, NY
Peter Max, German/American (1937 - ) - Composition Red, Year: 1980, Medium: Lithograph, signed and numbered in pencil, Edition: 165, HC, Image Size: 19 x 18 inches, Size: 27 in....
Lithograph
Through collage, painting and printmaking, the artist foregrounded Black life in America in revolutionary new ways.
By working with lettering, neon and Pop imagery, Chryssa pioneered several postmodern themes at a time when most male artists detested commercial mediums.
