🎤 Peter Max // collaborations · IMUDB

Peter Max Finkelstein (October 19, 1937 – September 14, 2026), known professionally as Peter Max, was a German-American artist known for using bright colors in his work. Works by Max are associated with the visual arts and culture of the 1960s, particularly psychedelic art and pop art. He was noted for his artwork that ranged from posters of Day-Glo flowers, butterflies, rainbows, stars and planets, which according to The New York Times, "expressed the blissed-out exuberance of the countercultural 1960s". His work was often described as symbolic to the 1960s counterculture movement. Born in Berlin, Max fled to Shanghai, China with his family. During his time there, he was influenced by the colors and calligraphy at a nearby Buddhist temple. He later moved to Israel where he began taking art lessons from a Viennese Expressionist, before moving to Paris where he studied Fauvism at the Louvre. He and his family eventually settled down in New York City where he studied figure drawing and anatomy under Frank J. Reilly. He began studying at the Art Students League of New York in 1956 and opened the art studio The Daly & Max Studio in 1962. In 1967, he designed flyers for the political gathering 'Be In' and in the 1970s created "Cosmic Jumper" and a "Smiling Sage" for commemorative Expo '74 stamps. In 1976, he was commissioned by ASEA to paint the "Peter Max Paints America" series in honor of the US Bicentennial, and in the same year, he was also commissioned to paint welcome signs for the US Border. He later designed the official artwork for the 1994 World Cup, the Grammy Awards, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Super Bowl, the Norwegian Breakaway, Continental Airlines aircraft N77014, and the 2000 World Series. Max retired due to complications from advanced dementia, which also caused his death in 2026. During his career, Max faced multiple legal issues. In 1997, he spent 2 months in prison after pleading guilty to federal tax evasion; in 2014 he was sued for failing to pay a 10% commission; in 2019 The New York Times exposed an art fraud scheme dating back to 2015 which exploited Max's deteriorating mental state; and in 2019, a civil lawsuit was filed against him for embezzling roughly $4–11 million from a trust grantor suffering from dementia to purchase luxury goods.