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Peter Max (born October 19 , 1937 as '''Peter Finkelstein''') is an American Pop Art ist. Max was born in Berlin , Germany and raised in Shanghai , China and in Israel before his family settled in the United States in 1953 .


EARLY LIFE

The young artist trained in New York at the Art Students League , Pratt Institute , and the School Of Visual Arts . After completing his studies, Peter Max opened a design studio and gained success as a designer for books, posters and products. Max closed his studio in 1964 and began making his signature colorful Silkscreen s.


WORK

Max's art work was a part of the Psychedelic Movement in graphic design. His work was influential and much imitated in advertising design in the late 1960s and early 1970s . One of Continental Airlines ' Boeing 777 aircraft (registered N77014) sports a special Livery designed by Max. {Link without Title}

Peter Max is important for evolving from a visionary Pop artist of the 1960's to masterful Neo-expressionism . His techniques of vibrant color have become a part of contemporary American Culture .

He is a Multi-dimensional creative artist, working with Oil , Acrylics , Water Colors , finger Paints , Dyes , Pastels , Charcoal , Pen , multi-colored Pencils , Etchings , Engravings , Animation Cells , Lithographs , Serigraphs , Silk Screens , Ceramics , Sculpture , Collage , Video , Xerox , Fax , and Computer Graphics . He loves all media; even including Mass Media as a " Canvas " for his creative expression.

He owns a collection of 36 Corvette s dating from 1956 to 1989 - one of each year they were made. They are currently in the garage beneath a condo in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn (a former '' New York Daily News '' printing plant), and have been neglected since he bought them for just under $0.5M in 1990, although he still intends to one day paint them {Link without Title} .


CAUSES

In his global causes, Peter Max is a passionate Environmentalist and committed defender of human and animal rights. Max often uses American Symbols in his artwork and has done paintings and projects for Presidents Ford , Carter , Reagan and Bush . Recently he created his "100 Clintons", a multiple portrait Installation whose images were used through the four days of the Presidential Inauguration . More recently, Max completed his fourth Grammy Award poster, re-designed NBC television's symbolic peacock, was appointed as the official artist for the World Cup USA '94 and created a "Peace Accord" Painting for the White House to commemorate the historic signing.

Cow gesture

Peter Max was in the news for a sensational and generous offer to provide a life of green fields for the famed Cinci Freedom , a sweet cow that escaped from an Ohio slaughterhouse in February, 2002. {Link without Title} Freedom leapt over a six foot fence while the slaughterhouse workers were on break and eluded capture for 11 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 said. "It was so inspiring. I knew I had to try to preserve that wonderful spirit." Photo courtesy of Farm Sanctuary. Peter donated $180,000 worth of his Art to benefit the local Society for the Prevention Of Cruelty To Animals , to ensure her a long life of peace at a New York Farm Sanctuary.

Max has always been compassionate and pacifist.


REFERENCES



EXTERNAL LINK

  • Official Page - The Official Peter Max Web Site with listings of Galleries and Exhibitions