Umbrella Man, 2009

Peter Max   Master Artists

A major American pop art and psychedelic art icon, Peter Max is an American Jewish artist, of German origin, he was born on 19th October 1937 in Berlin. He left the Nazi Germany for China along with his parents in 1938. Ten years later, they settled down in Haifa where he took lessons from a Viennese expressionist painter namely Professor Honick. Side by side, he studied astronomy at Technion University in Mount Carmel. They moved to New York in 1953, and his thirst for realism encouraged him to join the Art Students League of New York in 1956. In 1962 he created a small studio in Manhattan, he used it to illustrate books and advertising.

His passion for astronomy is the reason for his cosmic art posters. During his journeys, especially the time he spent in Paris made him develop a taste for European Expressionists and fauvism. His iconography of pop art from the 60's is symbolic (especially for his poster Love in 1968).

His world is related with the psychedelic movement and pop art. He uses a variety of techniques, these include oil painting, charcoal, colored pencils, etching, engraving, ceramics, video, computer graphics...He includes many American symbols in his creations and has created works for presidents such as Gerard Ford , Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W Bush and 44 portraits for the 44th President of the United States, namely Barack Obama.

He received the gold medal from the Society of Illustrators in 1963, for his album composition for the pianist, Meade Lux Lewis. Keen on photo collages, Peter Max organized the Bettman Panopticon exhibition, through the photographic collection of the Bettmann Archive, recognized as one of the most groundbreaking events of New York. The artist was a guest star on the NBC The Tonight Show in 1968 and was present on the cover of Life magazine on 5th September,1969. He was the official artist of the 1994 World Cup, not to mention the Grammy Awards where he created 4 posters.. Last but not least, Peter Max is the author of the works for the Universal exhibition of the American pavilion in 1992, Seville.