Peter Max, psychedelic artist behind Beatles' Yellow Submarine, dies at 88
The American visual artist, whose vibrant work defined 1960s counterculture and later became ubiquitous in commercial design, died in hospital after a long battle with dementia.
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Peter Max, the American psychedelic artist whose kaleidoscopic work defined 1960s counterculture and became embedded in mainstream commercial design, has died at 88. Max suffered long-term dementia and died in hospital, his son Adam Max announced Wednesday.
"We will remember his extraordinary creativity, his warmth, his curiosity and his way of seeing beauty and possibility everywhere," Adam Max said in a statement to ABC News. "His work had become an integral part of American culture, but it is the man behind it, the father we knew and loved, that we will miss most."
Born Peter Max Finkelstein in Berlin in 1937, Max fled Nazi persecution with his Jewish German family, first taking refuge in China before moving to Israel and Paris after the war. He arrived in New York at age 16 in 1953. After studying at the School of Visual Arts and Pratt Institute, he opened his own design studio and became a graphic designer.
"I see everything with rainbow eyes," Max once told ABC — a philosophy that shaped his approach to art. In the 1960s, his bright-colored psychedelic compositions were distributed across posters, collages, lithographies and silkscreens. His work became synonymous with the era's visual rebellion.
Max created the iconic cover for the Beatles' Yellow Submarine album and went on to design MTV's first logo in the 1980s. He was named official artist for the 1994 FIFA World Cup hosted in the United States. His prolific body includes iconic representations of the Statue of Liberty, portraits of the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, and U.S. presidents from John Fitzgerald Kennedy to Barack Obama, as well as Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton.
In the 1970s, Max created "Welcome to America" murals commissioned by U.S. authorities for border posts with Canada and Mexico. More recently, he painted Taylor Swift early in her career. His commercial reach extended to airplane fuselages, cruise ship prows, shower curtains and clocks designed for General Electric.
In the late 1990s, Max faced legal trouble when U.S. authorities accused him of concealing more than $700,000 in income from artwork sales to tax authorities. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to two months in prison, a $30,000 fine and 800 hours of community service teaching art in Harlem schools.
By the numbers
What was Peter Max's age when he died?
Peter Max was 88 years old when he died.
When did Peter Max arrive in New York?
Peter Max arrived in New York in 1953 at age 16.
What penalty did Peter Max receive for tax evasion in the late 1990s?
Peter Max pleaded guilty to concealing over $700,000 in income from artwork sales and was sentenced to two months in prison, a $30,000 fine, and 800 hours of community service teaching art in Harlem schools.
