April 14, 2018
“Don’t worry about mistakes, making things out of mistakes, that’s creativity.” – Peter Max
Peter Max has made a name for himself in today’s modern world. Recognized as a Pop culture icon who has been turning heads since his 1965 cover photo for LIFE Magazine. Max is one of the most popular among all living contemporary artists, with a history that is as colorful as his paintings!
Here are 10 Fun Facts about this Unique Artist and Illustrator:
1. While Peter Max was born in Germany, his parents took him from his birthplace and moved him to Shanghai, China to escape from the Holocaust. He spent the first 10 years of his life there, living in a pagoda-style house that was situated amongst a Buddhist monastery, a Sikh temple, and many Viennese Cafes. He also lived in Africa and Europe before finally settling in the U.S.
A Peter Max compilation showing 10 of his incredible pieces available at Gallery Art. For more details, email INFO@GALLART.COM or call 305.932.6166. Mention CODE #DCGALLART to receive 20% OFF on your order.
2. If Peter Max had a second career choice he would be an Astronomer. “If I didn’t choose art, I would have become an astronomer… I became fascinated with the vast distances in space as well as the vast world within the atom.”
3. Max was commissioned by the U.S. Postal Service to create the first 40 cent stamp. Additionally, his artwork entitled “Preserve the Environment” was used for the first 10 cent U.S. postage stamp.
4. On July 4th, 1976 Max began his annual July 4th tradition of painting a large portrait of the Statue of Liberty, this is still a custom that he continues to this day.
5. During the 1980’s Max was personally impacted by working backstage at the Live Aid Concert. He was so inspired by this cause he quickly began a series of works call the “Better World Series”. The painting called “I Love the World” depicts an angel embracing the planet.
6. Max has had the honor of painting six U.S. Presidents portraits (Carter, Ford, Bush, Reagan, Clinton and Obama) along with many other commissions for the White House.
7. In 1990, Max bought a collection of 36 Corvettes dating from 1956 to 1986, one for each year they were made. The entire collection cost Max about $5M. He intended to paint them all with his signature colors but never finished the project.
8. For the United Nation’s 50th Anniversary, Max created a series of fifty paintings in many bright color combinations of the landmark U.N. building.
9. Max was the official artist for the 31st, 33rd & 37th annual Grammy Awards as well as for the 1997 & 2017 US OPEN Theme Art.
10. Max previously painted portraits of pop artists and Voice judges Gwen Stephanie, Pharrell Williams, Blake Sheldon and Adam Levine. He has also painted portraits of pop sensation Taylor Swift, based on the debut of her 2008 album “Speak Now”.
At Gallery Art we carry hundreds of Peter Max’s most unique and famous artworks. For more details, email INFO@GALLART.COM or call 305.932.6166. Mention CODE #DCGALLART to receive 20% OFF on your order.
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Source: TheFamousPeople.com, Artist: “Peter Max”; GallArt.com, Artist: “Peter Max”.
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Interesting works of art I love how they vary in style and makes me feel more confident with my own range of styles. What a life story he experienced and still going strong an inspirational artist. Thank you for sharing.