Artist Peter Max dies in New York — Jerusalem Post
Pop artist Peter Max, whose vivid psychedelic works became one of the visual symbols of US youth culture in the 1960s, has died at a hospital in Manhattan, New York, United States. He was 88. Max died on Monday, and a representative of his family announced this on Wednesday, The Jerusalem Post reports.
Journey from Berlin to New York
Peter Max, born Peter Max Finkelstein, was born in 1937 in Berlin to a Jewish family. As a child, he became a refugee from Nazi Germany: his parents left with him for Shanghai, where thousands of European Jews found refuge during that period.
In 1948, the family left Shanghai and moved to the newly established state of Israel, where they later settled in Haifa. Max lived in Israel for about three and a half years, learned and spoke Hebrew, and began taking drawing lessons from a Viennese artist. He later said that his family observed Passover, Purim, and Yom Kippur.
The artist described the Jewish communities of Shanghai, Israel, and Brooklyn as important to his life and work. In a 2017 interview with the Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle, he said that his Jewish heritage influenced him above all through the love and care he received from the community.
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Images of the flower power era
Max's works were distinguished by saturated colors and surreal imagery. His art, influenced by his fascination with astronomy, featured cosmic landscapes, starbursts, doves, peace symbols, butterflies, and clouds. He also created portraits of the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, and Mick Jagger, who were his friends.
Max's connection with Israel was also reflected in his work. Among his works on Jewish and Israeli themes was the series “36 Rabins” — portraits of the assassinated Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. President Ronald Reagan was an admirer of the artist, and Max donated a painting featuring the Statue of Liberty to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.
Peter Max is survived by his daughter Libra and son Adam. In a statement, his daughter called her father her best friend and expressed hope that people would remember not only his work, but also his kindness and desire to bring joy to the world.
