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Peter Max, Psychedelic Pop Art Icon, Dies at 88
Confirmed
In Short: Peter Max, the German-American artist known for his vibrant, psychedelic designs that defined the 1960s counterculture, has passed away at the age of 88.
Peter Max, the German-American artist whose psychedelic posters and rainbow-hued portraits of celebrities and political figures made him a defining figure of the pop art movement, has died at 88.
Max's trippy designs, drenched in bright colors, initially faced scrutiny and ended up in storage after some officials questioned their psychedelic vibe.
Max's journey to becoming a psychedelic icon was marked by legal feuds, family troubles, and the loss of his wife in his final years.
Peter Max's colorful, psychedelic pop art expressed the optimism of the 'flower power' movement of the 1960s and graced everything from postage stamps to a cruise ship, his son said in a written statement.
Max, born Peter Max Finkelstein in 1937 to a Jewish family in Berlin, became a symbol of the 1960s counterculture and inspired countless artists to paint and draw.
What's confirmed
- Peter Max, the German-American artist whose psychedelic posters and rainbow-hued portraits of celebrities and political figures made him a defining figure of the pop art movement, has died at 88.
- Max's trippy designs, drenched in bright colors, initially faced scrutiny and ended up in storage after some officials questioned their psychedelic vibe.
- Max's journey to becoming a psychedelic icon was marked by legal feuds, family troubles, and the loss of his wife in his final years.
- Peter Max's colorful, psychedelic pop art expressed the optimism of the 'flower power' movement of the 1960s and graced everything from postage stamps to a cruise ship, his son said in a written statement.
- Max, born Peter Max Finkelstein in 1937 to a Jewish family in Berlin, became a symbol of the 1960s counterculture and inspired countless artists to paint and draw.
What's still developing
- “He had a very expansive mind. As much as the Beatles provided a soundtrack for that era and for that generation, Peter visualized it, and he just exploded onto the scene in the late 1960s,” Pagnotta said.
- During a six-month stop in Paris in 1953, Peter Max attended sketching classes at the Louvre, according to the artist's website.
- "The Swami and yoga taught me a whole new way to draw," Peter Max said.
- Peter Max was a prolific and commercially successful artist whose work appeared on an airplane, a cruise ship, postage stamps, and promotional materials for the Super Bowl, the World Cup, MTV's 1980s logo, the Manhattan Yellow Pages, and the Grammy Awards.
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- Hardly any artist of the '60s inspired people to paint and draw and gained worldwide fame like the legendary Peter Max.
- “His art became part of American culture, but the man behind that art — the father we knew and loved — is the person we will miss most.” Max was born Peter Max Finkelstein in 1937 to a Jewish family in Berlin.
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