Peter Max, Iconic Psychedelic Artist of the 1960s, Dies at 88
Peter Max, the American artist and designer whose vibrant, psychedelic works became synonymous with the visual culture of the 1960s and 1970s, died on September 14 in a Manhattan hospital. He was 88. His family announced his death two days later. Max had been suffering from severe dementia in recent years.
Born Peter Max Finkelstein in Berlin in 1937 to a Jewish family, he fled Nazi Germany as an infant with his family, eventually settling in Shanghai. The family later lived in Tibet, Israel, and Paris before moving to New York in 1953. After studying at the Art Students League, School of Visual Arts, and Pratt Institute, Max opened his own graphic design studio in 1961.
By the late 1960s, his signature style, characterized by cosmic landscapes, stars, doves, butterflies, flowers, and peace signs rendered in bold, contrasting colors, became associated with the flower power movement and American counterculture. His posters adorned college dorm rooms, and his designs appeared on clothing, home goods, postage stamps, and magazine covers.
Max created portraits of numerous celebrities, including The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, and Mick Jagger, as well as U.S. presidents. He was an official artist for major sporting events like the Olympic Games, the World Cup, and the Super Bowl, and his artwork was featured on a Boeing 777 aircraft and a Norwegian Cruise Line ship. The Statue of Liberty was a recurring theme in his work, with one piece donated to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. Seven of his works are held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
