Peter Max (b. 1937) American, Acrylic Signature and Collage on Print. Titled "I Love the World Collage." Made in 1999, includes a print in center and acrylic and mixed media lines around the border, with a signature made from acrylic streaks. 

Overall Size: 23 1/2 x 21 1/2 in. 

Sight Size: 13 1/2 x 11 1/2 in. 

#4726  

Peter Max, a prolific American artist born in Berlin, Germany in 1937, rose to prominence in the 1960s as a leading figure in the psychedelic art movement. His parents, Salla and Jakob Finkelstein, were German Jews who fled Berlin in 1938, settling in Shanghai, China, where they lived for the next ten years. Peter’s childhood in Shanghai influenced much of his later work. He loved the colors and the “calligraphic ballet” that he witnessed daily at the Buddhist temple across the street from the family villa. In 1948, the family moved to Haifa, Israel, where they lived for several years. Peter attended school in Mount Carmel, but was often drawing instead of taking notes. His principal suggested to his parents that he be put in art lessons after school, and he began to study under Professor Hünik, a Viennese Expressionist. From Israel, the family continued moving westward and stopped in Paris for several months, an experience that Max said greatly influenced his appreciation for art, particularly from taking drawing classes at the Louvre, where he began to study Fauvism. After nine months in Paris, Max and his family made their final move, settling in Brooklyn, New York, where he attended Lafayette High School and then studied anatomical drawing at the Art Students League of New York alongside Norman Rockwell. Renowned for his vibrant colors, bold graphic style, and eclectic subject matter, Max became synonymous with the spirit of the rapidly changing 1960s, creating iconic imagery that captured the zeitgeist of the time. His distinctive artworks adorned everything from album covers to posters, and even the hull of a Continental Airlines jet. Max’s work transcended traditional boundaries, blending elements of pop culture, spirituality, and cosmic imagery to create a visually stunning and emotionally resonant body of work. With a career spanning decades, he continues to inspire audiences worldwide with his whimsical and visionary artistry, despite many trials and tribulations in his later years.