From Publishers Weekly
Pop artist Max, like his contemporary Andy Warhol, had his artistic way with iconic figures: while Warhol captured Marilyn and Liz in Day-Glo glory, Max caught the visages of the Statue of Liberty, the Mona Lisa and George Washington in vibrant Technicolor (they both took a turn with Mick Jagger). But Max is the softer character in both art and life: his canvases are happier, swirlier, and he's a lot less hip. Perhaps it's his unabashed patriotism and his thorough endorsement by the establishment (though not necessarily the art world establishment). Max has painted Lady Liberty on the White House lawn, been named the official artist for the Grammys, the United Nations Earth Summit and five Superbowls, and had his paintings grace the covers of People, U.S. News & World Report and Manhattan's Yellow Pages-twice. This big, bright coffee table book shows Max's work in all of its wild energy, from his psychedelic posters (dorm room favorites) to his more recent forays into abstraction. Riley's accompanying text is appropriately heavy on the biographical detail and light on any high-falutin' art criticism, an approach perfectly appropriate for a volume celebrating one of history's most buoyantly middlebrow and accessible artists. Over 350 color plates. Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
Peter Max created a delirium of gorgeously imaginative and technically innovative posters and album covers during the sixties that perfectly capture the liberating power of rock and roll in brilliant colors, kaleidoscopic patterns-within-patterns, and bold, art deco-inspired graphics. But as instantly recognizable as Max's work is, his life story is not well known, and what a tale it is. Brilliantly hued reproductions of his prismatic and enchanting work are accompanied by equally energized and enlightening commentary as Riley recounts Max's family's prescient move from Berlin, where he was born in 1937, to Shanghai, where Max was profoundly influenced by Buddhist art, comic books, and astronomy, on to Israel then New York, the city Max celebrates in so many works, especially his colorful Statue of Liberty series. After studying at the Art Students League, Max opened his own design studio and--wham!--he was an instant success. His euphoric work, cogently analyzed by Riley, was everywhere; he appeared on the cover of Life magazine and The Tonight Show, and then he left it all behind to paint in splendid isolation for a decade. Since then the ebullient Max has reclaimed celebrity status (well documented in photographs) and continues to paint with pleasure and verve. Donna Seaman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Book Description
Colorful and cosmic, Peter Max's art has been an integral part of contemporary American culture for more than three decades. Beginning in the 1960s, when his bold, bright paintings embodied the spirit of the times, up to the present day, his prolific output has inspired people in every corner of the world. Premier art institutions regularly exhibit solo shows of his work, and his trademark posters have achieved international popularity. From being named Official Artist of the Grammy Awards for five successive years to painting a Continental Airlines 777 plane, Max's projects always garner enormous media attention. In this comprehensive Max retrospective, 350 full-color images-many never before published-illustrate the artist's life and prolific career. Author Charles A. Riley II considers Max's uncanny ability to create fine art with tremendous popular appeal.

FROM OUR EDITORS

For multitalented artist Peter Max, life's long and winding road has left him again and again at fame's door. Once regarded as a faddish '60 icon, Max retreated into relative obscurity in the late '70s, still basking in the sales of his cosmic commercial art. Since then, he has painted portraits of five American presidents, illustrated the first ten-cent stamp, created 3-D computer art, and painted a Continental Airlines 777 passenger plane. This huge coffee-table book celebrates four decades of the Peter Max phenomenon in the bold, glorious color that it deserves.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

From such painted icons as his Statue of Liberty series and his dreamlike landscapes, to his pulsating graphics and world-famous posters that defined the visual aesthetic of the age of rock and roll, this richly illustrated book finally puts Max in perspective as a leading figure on the contemporary art scene. Compiled with the cooperation of the artist himself, it takes the viewer backstage into the studio and the celebrity studded life of an artist who is himself a celebrity.

SYNOPSIS

Peter Max is one of the world's most famous and popular living artists. For more than forty years, beginning with his meteoric rise in the 1960s, his work has been vastly influential in creating the visual vocabulary of our time. Using brilliant color and a unique graphic style, he combines the mysticism of the East with the joyous modernity of popular art in the West.

Peter Max has galleries all over the world, and is constantly traveling to promote his art and vision. Whether painting an Continental Airlines jet for the New York City Millennium celebration, being named principal artist for New York's "Cow Parade" in 2000, designing posters for the World Cup, the Grammys, and the Statue of Liberty, or raising money for charity through his sales of his September 11th-inspired posters, Max has had an uncanny ability to create art that not only reflects the spirit of the times, but also has tremendous popular appeal.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly