Artist: Peter Max
Title: Angel with Heart
Medium: Acrylic on Acrylic Sculpture
Dimensions: 18.75" x 12.75" x 5"
Year: 2014
Inscription: Signed "Max" on front
Peter Max studio number: SN#316130 (342501)
Documentation: Includes Gallery Certificate of Authenticity
Peter Max's "Artist: Peter Max" acrylic sculpture presents a luminous angelic figure cradling a heart, reflecting one of the artist's most enduring themes. Across his career, the angel has appeared in paintings, prints, and sculptures as a symbol of protection, hope, and universal connection. In this work, Max brings the figure into three-dimensional form, combining sculptural presence with his signature vibrant color palette.
The composition is defined by bright, saturated tones of pink, orange, blue, and yellow. Set against a translucent acrylic background, the colors seem to float in space, emphasizing the ethereal and uplifting qualities of the angelic motif. Max's brushwork is deliberate and expressive, with layered, visible strokes that add texture and depth, enhancing the sense of movement and vitality within the figure. The tactile quality of the brushstrokes draws attention to the hand of the artist and the physicality of the acrylic medium.
Measuring 18.75 inches in height and 12.75 inches in width, Peter Max's "Artist: Peter Max" acrylic sculpture is a commanding presence. Each element, from the angel's flowing form to the gently cradled heart, demonstrates Max's attention to gesture, composition, and the emotive potential of color.
Signed "Max" on the front, this work bears the Peter Max studio number SN#316130 (342501) and is accompanied by a gallery certificate of authenticity. The piece exemplifies Max's continued exploration of universally recognizable imagery through vibrant color and sculptural innovation, offering viewers both visual delight and a contemplative encounter with one of the artist's most iconic subjects.
About Peter Max
Peter Max (b. 1937) is a German-born American artist whose vibrant palette, bold forms, and integration of popular imagery have made him a defining figure in American contemporary art. Renowned for his contributions to Pop Art and the psychedelic art movement of the 1960s and 1970s, Max's work spans painting, printmaking, sculpture, and design. Today, Peter Max art remains widely collected and continues to influence visual culture, bridging the worlds of fine art, mass media, and commercial design.
Born Peter Max Finkelstein in Berlin, Germany, Max spent much of his early childhood in Shanghai, where his family had fled Nazi Germany in 1938. This international upbringing exposed him to diverse artistic and cultural traditions, including European modernism and Asian visual practices, which later informed his eclectic visual vocabulary. In the early 1950s, his family relocated to the United States, where Max pursued formal training at the Art Students League in New York, studying traditional techniques in painting, portraiture, and figure drawing.
By the early 1960s, Max had begun to develop a distinct style characterized by fluid lines, vibrant color fields, and cosmic or dreamlike imagery. His work quickly gained recognition through widely circulated posters and prints, becoming emblematic of the psychedelic era. Peter Max prints and posters often featured bright, saturated colors, stylized landscapes, and iconic figures, resonating with the countercultural spirit of the period. These images, reproduced in mass media, helped establish Max as one of the most recognizable artists of his generation.
Max's career extended beyond printmaking and poster art. He produced original Peter Max paintings, sculptures, and commissions for major public events, including U.S. Bicentennial celebrations, Super Bowl programs, and the Statue of Liberty centennial. His work frequently incorporated patriotic motifs, portraits of presidents, and symbolic imagery that reflected both American identity and universal themes of optimism, imagination, and spirituality.
Critically, Max is recognized not only for his technical skill and mastery of color but also for his ability to bridge high art and popular culture. Like contemporaries Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein, Max challenged traditional distinctions between fine art and commercial production, creating work that was both widely accessible and aesthetically distinctive. Museums and galleries internationally have exhibited his paintings, prints, and sculptures, underscoring his lasting significance within the canon of American contemporary art.
Throughout his career, Peter Max has maintained a prolific output, adapting his practice to evolving cultural and technological contexts while retaining his signature style. His bold use of color, iconic motifs, and innovative approach to Pop Art and psychedelic imagery have ensured his enduring influence on American visual culture. Peter Max art exemplifies the intersection of creativity, commerce, and cultural commentary, cementing his place as a seminal figure in the history of twentieth- and twenty-first-century art.
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