2004
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.
Vase of Flowers XI, Peter Max
By Peter Max
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Peter Max (1937) Title: Vase of Flowers XI Year: 2001 Edition: 451/500, plus proofs Medium: Lithograph on archival paper Size: 11 x 9 inches Condition: Excellent Inscription:...
Lithograph
Flowers In Blue Vase III, Peter Max
By Peter Max
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Peter Max (1937) Title: Flowers In Blue Vase III Year: 2000 Edition: 419/500, plus proofs Medium: Lithograph on archival paper Size: 12 x ...
Lithograph
Vase of Flowers, Peter Max
By Peter Max
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Peter Max (1937) Title: Vase of Flowers Year: 1979 Edition: 138/350, plus proofs Medium: Lithograph on Somerset paper Size: 30 x 22 inches Condition: Excellent Inscription: S...
Lithograph
Peter Max -- Blushing Beauty
By Peter Max
Located in BRUCE, ACT
Peter Max Blushing Beauty, 2006 Mixed-media with acrylic painting and color lithography on paper. A unique work Hand signed in acrylic low right. Image size 23 x 18 cm Frame size ...
Mixed Media
Better World
By Peter Max
Located in Hollywood, FL
Artist: Peter Max Title: Better World Size: 48 x 24 Inches (Framed: 57.25 x 33.25 Inches) Medium: Acrylic on Canvas Edition: Original Year: 2010 Notes: Max Studio Catalog Nu...
Canvas, Acrylic
Roseville Bouquet, Pop Art Screenprint on Paper by Peter Max
By Peter Max
Located in Long Island City, NY
Roseville Bouquet by Peter Max, German/American (1937) Date: 1991 Screenprint on Paper, signed and numbered in color pencil Edition of 33/300 Size: 40 x 30 in. (101.6 x 76.2 cm) Fram...
Screen
Abstract Flowers II, Peter Max
By Peter Max
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Peter Max (1937) Title: Abstract Flowers II Year: 2007 Edition: 500/500, plus proofs Medium: Lithograph on archival paper Size: 8 x 6 inches Condition: Excellent Inscription:...
Lithograph
“Vase of flowers”
By Peter Max
Located in Warren, NJ
Peter Max original 1998 painting on canvas “Vase of flowers”. In good condition comes with coa measuring 17x15
Mixed Media
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
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
Profile with Flower Vase, Original Acrylic Painting on Canvas, Signed
By Peter Max
Located in Aventura, FL
Original acrylic painting on canvas. Hand signed on front by Peter Max. Canvas size 24 x 30 inches. Frame size approx 28 x 34 inches. In 2012, Ken Hendel, the owner of Gallery A...
Canvas, Acrylic
Sage Abstract, Original Acrylic Painting, Custom Framed, Pop Art, 1989
By Peter Max
Located in Aventura, FL
Original painting on canvas. Hand signed on front by Peter Max with studio catalog number and date on verso. Canvas size 30 x 24 inches. Custom framed with hand painted fillet as ...
Canvas, Acrylic
Flower Blossom III, Large Hand Signed Serigraph, Custom Framed 45 x 52 in.
By Peter Max
Located in Aventura, FL
Serigraph in colors on paper. Hand signed lower right by Peter Max. Hand numbered 23/100 lower left. Sheet size: 30 x 37 inches. Custom framed as pictured. White frame with hand ...
Paper, Screen
Spring Acrylic Painting on Canvas, Custom Framed, Signed by Peter Max
By Peter Max
Located in Aventura, FL
Original acrylic painting on canvas. Hand signed and dated upper front by Peter Max. Canvas size: 20 x 16 inches. Custom framed as pictured. White frame and linen matting with h...
Canvas, Acrylic
Signed Flower Spectrum Serigraph Print, Pop Art, Edition of 150
By Peter Max
Located in Aventura, FL
Serigraph in colors on paper. Hand signed and numbered by Peter Max. Edition of 150. Artwork is in excellent condition. All reasonable offers will be considered.
Paper, Screen
Signed Flower Abstract Lithograph, Pop Art Style, Edition of 165, Framed, 1980
By Peter Max
Located in Aventura, FL
Lithograph in colors on paper. Hand signed and numbered by the artist. From the edition of 165. Frame size approx 28 x 33 inches. Artwork is in excellent condition. Certificate ...
Paper, Lithograph
