Peter Max Original Sunset Reeds I 1997 Signed Acrylic on Canvas Painting

Artist: Peter Max (American, b. 1937)
Title: Sunset Reeds I
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
Canvas Size: 16” x 20”
Year: 1997
Inscription: Signed “Max” on the lower right
Verso: Stamped “PETER MAX 1997,” with the handwritten inventory number 35955
Documentation: Includes a Gallery Certificate of Authenticity
Peter Max Studio Registration Number: 35955
Condition: Perfect

Peter Max’s Sunset Reeds I (1997) interprets a waterside landscape through a composition dominated by saturated color, sweeping brushwork, and simplified organic forms. The painting is structured around a series of horizontal passages suggesting water and distant land, while several slender reeds rise vertically through the foreground. Their elongated forms establish a rhythmic framework within the composition and contrast with the broad, curving strokes that define the surrounding landscape.

Max departs from naturalistic color throughout the work. Blues, turquoise, violet, pink, orange, red, and yellow are layered across the canvas, creating an intensified impression of sunset rather than a literal rendering of atmospheric light. The central landscape is defined by overlapping arcs of color that suggest hills or shoreline, while loose clusters of white, lavender, and yellow brushwork introduce additional variation across the composition. The visible brushstrokes emphasize movement and the physical application of paint.

The work reflects Max’s mature approach to landscape painting, in which recognizable subjects serve as a foundation for explorations of color, gesture, and abstraction. Although the reeds and waterside setting provide a clear point of reference, the composition derives its structure from the interplay of color and directional brushwork rather than conventional perspective.

The 16 x 20-inch canvas is signed “Max” on the lower right, the painting is stamped “PETER MAX 1997” on the verso and bears the handwritten studio inventory number 35955. It comes with a Gallery Certificate of Authenticity.

About Peter Max

Peter Max (American, b. 1937) occupies a distinctive position in the history of American Pop Art, particularly for his contribution to the visual culture of the 1960s. Born in Berlin and raised in Shanghai and other parts of the world before settling in New York, Max developed an artistic vocabulary shaped by traditional academic training and the rapidly changing cultural landscape of postwar America.

Max initially worked in illustration and graphic design. During the 1960s, he developed the highly recognizable imagery for which he became known: intense color, rhythmic lines, simplified figures, celestial motifs, and references to space and popular culture. His Cosmic ’60s paintings, prints, and posters became closely associated with psychedelic art and the era’s interest in music, Eastern philosophy, astronomy, and countercultural expression.

Printmaking was central to Max’s practice, allowing his imagery to circulate widely through posters, magazines, and other forms of mass media. His work consequently occupied a space between fine art, commercial graphics, and popular culture, a characteristic that remains central to discussions of his place within American Pop Art.

Max’s artistic practice evolved throughout his career. His later paintings explored expressive brushwork, abstraction, portraiture, landscapes, and American subjects, including his recurring depictions of the Statue of Liberty. His paintings and graphic prints continue to be widely collected.