Artist: Peter Max
Title: Lady With Hat
Medium: Original Ink on Paper
Dimensions: 38" x 50"
Year: 1982
Inscription: Signed and dated "Max 1982" on upper right
Documentation: Includes Gallery Certificate of Authenticity
"Lady With Hat" (1982) captures the refined elegance and lyrical simplicity that define Peter Max's late twentieth-century works on paper. Executed in ink, the drawing distills the artist's characteristic sense of motion and fluidity into a single, graceful figure rendered through sweeping, assured lines. The composition presents the silhouette of a woman in profile, her wide-brimmed hat dominating the picture plane in undulating contours that balance delicacy with bold design.
While Peter Max is best known for his vibrant Pop Art palette and cosmic imagery of the 1960s and 70s, "Lady With Hat" represents his equally masterful command of minimal line drawing, a practice that emphasizes form, rhythm, and gesture over color. The work's controlled line work suggests both immediacy and precision, evoking the spontaneity of calligraphy and the sensibility of modernist portraiture.
Created during a period when Max was refining his focus on figurative subjects, this drawing demonstrates his ability to merge classical draftsmanship with a distinctly contemporary sensibility. The understated palette and fluid structure place the emphasis squarely on the artist's confident use of negative space, allowing the viewer to appreciate the balance between suggestion and detail.
Signed and dated "Max 1982" in the upper right corner, "Lady With Hat" stands as a compelling example of Peter Max's mature style: graceful, fluid, and unmistakably his own. With its large scale and elegant composition, the piece exemplifies Max's enduring fascination with beauty, movement, and the expressive potential of the human form. Accompanied by a gallery certificate of authenticity, it remains a timeless reflection of Max's artistic versatility and technical mastery.
About Peter Max
Peter Max is a German-born American artist whose bold use of color, graphic line, and cosmic imagery helped define the visual language of the late 1960s and 1970s. Known for his fusion of Pop Art and psychedelic aesthetics, Max became one of the most recognizable figures in contemporary American art, celebrated for his vibrant and optimistic vision.
Born in Berlin in 1937, Max and his family fled Nazi Germany, living in Shanghai, Tibet, and Israel before settling in the United States. This early exposure to diverse cultures, religions, and art forms deeply influenced his later work. Max studied at the Art Students League of New York, where he absorbed the traditions of academic painting while developing a fascination with modern design and color theory. His training in realism later gave way to a dynamic visual style that merged spiritual themes, cultural iconography, and commercial art sensibilities.
Max first rose to prominence in the 1960s, a period that coincided with the rise of countercultural movements and the expanding influence of mass media. His iconic "Cosmic" imagery—featuring celestial landscapes, floating figures, and radiant color fields—captured the era's idealism and fascination with transcendence. His work appeared on posters, album covers, and magazine illustrations, bridging the gap between fine art and popular culture. Max's artistic vocabulary evolved through the decades, encompassing patriotic motifs, portraits of cultural icons, and environmental themes, while maintaining his hallmark palette of saturated hues and fluid compositions.
Over his career, Max's work has been exhibited in major museums and galleries worldwide, including the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Brooklyn Museum, and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. His art has also been featured in large-scale public commissions, such as the U.S. postage stamp for the 1974 World's Fair and the official artwork for multiple Grammy Awards and Super Bowls.
Today, Peter Max's art continues to symbolize creativity, individuality, and optimism. His pieces—ranging from limited-edition prints to monumental acrylic paintings—remain highly sought after by collectors and institutions alike. Through his enduring exploration of color and form, Max established himself as a central figure in postwar American art, bridging the boundaries between Pop Art, commercial design, and the visionary spirit of an era.
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