- Peter Max
Infobox Artist
name = peter max
imagesize = 200
caption = Peter Max
birthdate = birth date|1937|10|19
location =Berlin, Germany
nationality = American (United States)
field =Painting ,Pop Art
training =Art Students League of New York
movement =Pop Art
works = "LOVE " (1968),Peter Max (born Peter Max Finkelstein,
October 19 ,1937 ) is a German-born American artist best known for his iconic posters in the 1960s.Biography
Childhood and early career
Born in
Berlin , Max fled Germany with his parents in 1938 and emigrated toShanghai ,China . The family lived in Tibet, India, South Africa, Italy then settled inIsrael in 1948. After attending art school inParis for 9 months, he then moved toBrooklyn in 1953.The 1950s
In 1956, Max began his formal art training at the
Arts Students League inManhattan , studying anatomy, figure drawing and composition.The 1960s
In 1962 Max started a small Manhattan arts studio with friend Tom Daly. Max was commissioned by
Riverside Records to create cover art forMeade Lux Lewis . The album art won a gold medal from the Society of Illustrators in 1962. With the use of photographic images as elements of collage, Max organized the Bettman Panopticon exhibition utilizing the antique photo content of the Bettman archives. It was considered one of the mostavant-garde exhibitions of the New York graphic arts sceneFact|date=August 2008. His interest inAstronomy Fact|date=August 2008 led to his Cosmic 60s period by way of art posters. He appeared on the Tonight Show in 1968 and on the cover ofLIFE magazine on 9-5-1969. Max's 1968 LOVE poster was emblematic of late 60s pop-culture iconography.Fact|date=August 2008The 1970s
In 1970, many of Max's products and posters were featured in the exhibition "The World of Peter Max" which opened at the M.H. de Young Memorial Museum in
San Francisco . The US Postal Service commissioned Max to create the first 10¢ postage stamp to commemorate Expo 74World's Fair inSpokane , Washington. July 4th, 1976, Max began hisStatue of Liberty series leading to his efforts withChrysler CEOLee Iacocca to help spearhead the restoration of the statue.The 1980s to Present
Official artist for many major events including
Grammy Awards ,Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ,The Super Bowl and others.Fact|date=August 2008Work
in graphic design. His work was much imitated in commercial illustration in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Although he did not participate in the project, Yellow Submarine, a 1968 animated film based on music by
The Beatles , may have been influenced by his work, although the origins of the style are not clear.Fact|date=August 2008Peter Max's later decorative style evolved from his 1960s
pop art style toneo-expressionism .Fact|date=August 2008He works in multiple media, including
oil , acrylics,water colors , fingerpaints ,dyes ,pastels ,charcoal ,pen , multi-coloredpencils ,etchings ,engravings , animation cels,lithographs , serigraphs, ceramics,sculpture ,collage ,video ,xerox ,fax , andcomputer graphics . He also includesmass media as a "canvas " for his creative expression.Fact|What does this mean?|date=August 2008Max often uses American
symbol s in his artwork and has done paintings and projects forPresidents Ford, Carter, Reagan and Bush. Recently he created his "100 Clintons," a multiple portrait installation whose images were used through the four days of thePresidential inauguration . More recently, Max completed his fourth Grammy-Award poster, redesignedNBC television's symbolic peacock, was appointed as the official artist for the World Cup USA 1994 and created a "Peace Accord"painting for theWhite House to commemorate a historic signing.Fact|which historic signing?|date=August 2008One of
Continental Airlines 'Boeing 777 aircraft (registered N77014) sported a speciallivery designed by Max. The livery was removed in the winter of 2007-2008. [ [http://www.airliners.net/open.file?id=0988346&size=M Photos: Boeing 777-224/ER Aircraft Pictures | Airliners.net ] ]His artwork is currentlyFact|date=August 2008 on the walls of CBS's morning show, "
The Early Show ."Personal life
Max owns a collection of 36
Chevrolet Corvette s, dating from 1956 to 1989, one for each year.Peter Max is an
environmentalist and defender of human and animal rights.In 1997 Max pled guilty to conspiracy to defraud the Internal Revenue Service and tax evasion. [ [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9401E0DB1139F932A25752C1A961958260 Pop Artist Peter Max Pleads Guilty to Charges of Tax Fraud - New York Times ] ] He was sentenced to two months in prison and 800 hours of community service. [ [http://money.cnn.com/2002/06/04/pf/taxes/evasions/ You're not alone, Dennis - Jun. 4, 2002 ] ]
Peter Max was in the news in 2002 when he offered to provide a life of green fields for
Cinci Freedom , a cow that escaped from anOhio slaughterhouse. [ [http://www.compassioniscool.com/petermax.html CiC - Peter Max - Award Winner 2002 ] ] The cow leapt over a six-foot fence while the slaughterhouse workers were on break and eluded capture for eleven days. "This little girl's will—facing the end of her life, being so frightened, then taking the risk of all risks to live, to be free—touched me so deeply," Max was quoted as saying, "It was so inspiring. I knew I had to try to preserve that wonderful spirit." Max donated $180,000 worth of hisart to benefit the localSociety for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals , to ensure her a long life of peace at aNew York Farm Sanctuary.Notes
References
*http://www.genesistrade.com/html/bios/116.html
*http://www.aejv.com/max-bio.htm
*http://www.artlover.org/more_art/artist_bios/max-bio.html
*http://www.galleryfront.com/artistDetail.cfm?a=3
*http://www.americanfineartgallery.com/artist_bios/max_bio.html
*http://www.compassioniscool.com/petermax.html
*http://www.accessoryhut.com/detail.asp?id=8207External links
* [http://www.petermax.com Official Page] - The Official Peter Max Web Site with listings of Galleries and Exhibitions
* [http://www.doubletakeart.com/cgi-bin/dtg/dtg.psearch?name=Peter+Max&a1=00359 The Image Library of Peter Max (incomplete)]
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