Artist: Peter Max
Title: Peach Cinema
Medium: Color Serigraph on Paper
Dimensions: 26" x 36.5"
Year: 1975
Edition: 30/75
Inscription: Signed "Max" on lower front
Documentation: Includes Gallery Certificate of Authenticity
"Peach Cinema" is a striking example of Peter Max's vibrant Pop Art aesthetic and his visionary role in shaping America's cultural identity during the 1970s. Created in 1975 as part of his limited Bicentennial Series, this color serigraph bursts with Max's signature elements: bold outlines, surreal silhouettes, saturated hues, and whimsical characters suspended in a dreamlike landscape. Set against a glowing peach-to-rose gradient sky, the composition layers three stylized profiles in a narrative that feels both cinematic and symbolic.
Produced to commemorate the United States' 200th anniversary, "Peach Cinema" reflects Max's unique lens on American life—merging countercultural psychedelia with a tone of celebration and unity. The interplay of abstract form and figurative detail captures the complexity of the era: forward-looking yet nostalgic, deeply personal yet culturally resonant. With a rare edition size of just 75 and hand-signed by the artist, this serigraph is a highly collectible work from a period when Max's output was relatively limited.
"Peach Cinema" is more than a visual statement—it's a historical artifact from one of the most dynamic periods in American pop culture. Whether viewed through the lens of national pride, artistic innovation, or personal expression, this piece embodies Peter Max's enduring ability to translate emotion into color and consciousness into form.
About Peter Max
Peter Max is a German-American artist best known for his bold, colorful works that blend elements of Pop Art, psychedelia, and cosmic imagery. Born Peter Max Finkelstein on October 19, 1937, in Berlin, Germany, he spent much of his early childhood living in Shanghai, China, where his family fled to escape the rise of Nazism. There, Max was exposed to vibrant Eastern art, including calligraphy and traditional Chinese landscapes, which would later influence his visual vocabulary.
In 1948, the Max family immigrated to Israel and then moved to Paris, where Peter studied art at the Lycée Hoche. Eventually, in 1953, they settled in Brooklyn, New York. Max enrolled in the Art Students League of New York, where he studied under notable realist Frank J. Reilly. Although trained in classical techniques, Max soon gravitated toward a more expressive and experimental approach.
By the 1960s, Max had developed a distinctly modern style that combined American pop culture with a spiritual, almost otherworldly sensibility. He exploded onto the national scene during the height of the counterculture movement, becoming one of the defining visual artists of the era. His work—featuring saturated color fields, cosmic imagery, and whimsical characters—captured the optimism, curiosity, and rebellion of the time. Often described as a “psychedelic visualist," Max helped pioneer the genre of Cosmic Art, a fusion of surrealism and pop iconography that became synonymous with the late '60s and early '70s.
Max's rise coincided with a period of massive cultural and political transformation in the United States. His art found widespread popularity not only in galleries but also in mass media—on posters, album covers, magazine illustrations, and even postage stamps. In 1970, he was featured on the cover of Life magazine, further cementing his place as a cultural icon.
Throughout his career, Max has maintained a strong connection to American identity and values. In 1976, in celebration of the country's Bicentennial, he created a series of works—including "Peach Cinema" and "Cosmic Window"—that paid homage to the spirit of the nation through abstracted portraits and patriotic color palettes. He has since been commissioned to create artwork for numerous national events, including the U.S. Pavilion at the 1972 World's Fair, multiple Super Bowls, and Presidential campaigns. He also painted portraits of several U.S. Presidents and other public figures, including the Dalai Lama and Mikhail Gorbachev.
In the decades since his emergence, Max has continued to reinvent himself while staying true to his core aesthetic: explosive color, fluid linework, and an enduring sense of wonder. His work draws from Eastern philosophy, astronomy, music, and American pop iconography, making it both timeless and unmistakably of its era.
Beyond his art, Max has been an outspoken advocate for environmental and humanitarian causes, lending his voice and imagery to efforts like Save the Planet and Love Our Children. His philanthropic work, paired with his artistic output, has helped position him not just as a pop artist, but as a symbol of hopeful, expressive creativity.
Today, Peter Max's work is collected worldwide and remains a staple of American pop art history. From his early cosmic scenes to his later patriotic tributes, his art has become a vibrant chronicle of American culture and imagination.
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