Peter Max?s opening nights often draw more than 20,000 fans.
Waves of fans rush to his exhibits for a chance to glimpse the world-renowned artist, witness his iconic American Pop images and buy a piece of their youth.
Baltimore-area Maxists will have their chance to meet Max and see his works up close while his retrospective, “Colors of a Better World,” covers the Light Street Pavilion‘s walls.
“People following my work for years tell me things about me I had forgotten,” Max said from his New York studio where a large staff of 105 help him organize his endless on-going projects.
Max’s retrospective in Baltimore boasts more than 150 art works including original paintings and the instantly recognizable “Statue of Liberty,” “Flag with Heart” and “Cosmic” images, which captured the psychedelic spirit of 1960s in pulsating, vibrant colors and exciting lines.
“I grew up on the West Coast in the sixties, and for me, and for a lot of my generation, [Max] defines the look of the sixties ? that kind of hallucinogenic imagery ? colorful, clever and inventive,” said Jay Fisher, Baltimore Museum of Art?s Senior Curator of Prints, Drawings & Photographs. “It will be interesting to go to the exhibit and look at his work from my eyes now, to see if it evokes the same emotions for me or if I see it in an entirely different way.”
Since Max’s work first garnered national attention in the sixties, his momentum not only continued but also escalated.
“You come to get use to it, but the little kid in me still doesn?t believe it?s happening,” Max said about his success. “It?s mind-boggling. When I was young, I always thought ?Wow, I had a nice run.? I wondered if would continue. It did, and got bigger and bigger. I was surprised and very happy. All I can tell you is I don’t take any of it for granted.”
In his 70 years, Max has painted portraits of six U.S. presidents, the Dalai Lama and Mikhail Gorbachev, covered the Berlin Wall and a Boeing 777 jumbo jet in colors, and been anointed the Official Artist of six Grammy Awards, three World Fairs and six Super Bowls. More than 100 museums and galleries worldwide show his works.
IF YOU GO
WHEN: Through May 4
WHERE: Light Street Pavilion at Harborplace
Baltimore Inner Harbor
COST: Free. Reservations recommended. Call 1-888-513-8385
MEET THE ARTIST: Peter Max will be in Baltimore at Harborplace 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. May 3 and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. May 4.
