Pictured: Peter Max and Ringo Starr
Peter Max Loves What He Does
By Skip Sheffield
You could say Peter Max is lucky in life. He is America ’s most
popular and successful artist, and has been since the 1960s. He regularly meets
celebrities, presidents, royalty and of course ordinary people who adore him.
Yes, you could say Peter Max is lucky, but there is more to it than that. Peter
Max loves what he is doing, and that love comes back through what he does.
“I never think of making a living (by painting),’ Max said recently from
his studio in New York City .
“It is my joy, my power in the studio. My wife, my home, our kitty cats all
inspire me. I draw at home after I have left the studio. I look around me and
all the things I have done, and I see it as my love affair with the world.”
Max is bringing his “love affair” to South
Florida for his annual visit. He will be at Wentworth Gallery, 819
E. Las Olas Blvd., from 1-3 p.m. Saturday, March 16 and the Wentworth Galley at
Town Center ,
Boca Raton , 6
to 9 p.m. March 16. Both events are free and open to the public.
It seems that every year Max does something bigger and more
spectacular to stretch the boundaries of his art. This year it is Max’s largest
“canvas” yet: Norwegian Cruise Line’s newest ship, “Breakaway.” Decorating the
massive 40,000 square feet of hull are Peter Max’s bright, fanciful designs.
When it is completed in May, Breakaway will be the largest ship to home port in
New York City
year-round. Max will not personally be painting the $1.2 billion-dollar ship,
but he is supervising a crew of 100 artists hand-applying the paint of his
designs.
Max painted a piano for his friend Ringo Starr in 2005. It
was auctioned at the Grammy Awards’ MusiCares event honoring Sir Paul McCartney
in 2012. It earned the highest live auction winning bid in MusiCares’ 22-year
history.
Max, termed a “Neo-Fauvist,” Abstract Impressionist and
above all Pop Icon, has had the honor of painting all of the last seven
presidents of the United
States . More recently he painted country-pop
sensation Taylor Swift. Posters of the painting sold-out on her web site.
Max never rests on his laurels. He is probably the most
personable artist in America .
He loves meeting his fans and collectors. He is like a rock star, only more
accessible.
“It’s hard to keep up with everything,” Max admits. “I do
yoga, I walk everywhere and I am on a very good vegan diet. I weigh 136 pounds.
I owe a lot to my wife Mary, who I think is one of the most beautiful women in
the world. I first saw her 15-and-a-half years ago, and I said to my friend
Chuckie, ‘I’m going to marry that girl.’ Chuckie didn’t believe me. Two months
later, I married her.”
The information number for Wentworth Boca Raton is
561-338-0804. The Fort Lauderdale
location is 954-468-0685.
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