On this day, in 1937, artist Peter Max was born in Germany. He arrived in Brooklyn in 1953 and by the 60′s, he was taking over the Art Scene in New York. His colorful, psychedelic designs was leading edge and copied by many others during this time. His work has evolved from Pop Art to Neo-expressions over the years and he is well known for taking symbols of America (like the Statue of Liberty) and incorporating them into his work. He is not bound to a single material, using pencils, acrylics, ceramics, watercolors, finger paints, videos, among others. We’ll look at some of his more famous commissions today:

1. Continental Airlines – A Boeing 777 was painted with his special livery design
2. The 1^st 10 cent stamp to commemorate the World Fair in Spokane during 1974
3. In 1976 he started a series based on the Statue of Liberty to spearhead the restoration project.
4. Clinton Inauguration – 100 Clinton’s was a series of rotating portraits used over 4 days
5. Official Artist of the Grammys
6. Official Artist of 5 different Superbowls
7. Official Artist of 1994 World Cup
8. White House Artist for Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush (and called back to draw the “Peace Accord”)
9. Official Artist of Woodstock Music Festival/New Orleans Jazz Festival
10. Official Artist of the NHL All Star Game/US Tennis Open

He is on his way to becoming a Global Artist, having carved a Dove on the Berlin Wall as it was torn down and also providing artistic services to the Moscow Music Peace Festival. His work is light, fun, and usually has a message. For more, check out his site at www.petermax.com.