After pieces of his art showed up on a Boeing 777 jumbo jet, CBS's "The Morning Show" walls, the Woodstock Music Festival stage and the cover of Verizon's New York City yellow and white pages, art lovers started taking notice of how abstract expressionist and pop artist Peter Max has captured Americana in ways unimaginable.
Max will present his latest show this Saturday at the Wentworth Galleries at the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City and Tysons Galleria. The exhibit, called "POP to Patriotism," showcases a retrospective of Max's career from his iconic "Liberty Head" and "Flag with Heart" pieces to his more recent political fare.
Although Max's paintings evoke a stylistic sense of nationalism in "POP to Patriotism," he said he believes patriotism's modern definition is expansive and not solely confined to pride.
"Patriotism isn't only about loving your country," he said in a phone interview with The Eagle. "America invented the ecology movement and animal protection. To be a patriot is to be truthful to these movements so that we have a healthy planet for our children, grand children, great-grand children and so on."
Max's artistic career began in the late 1950s when he studied realism painting at Manhattan's Arts Students League - where notable artistic alumnus Norman Rockwell graduated. While Max studied and perfected realism in the tradition of old masters such as Leonardo da Vinci, friends began to question the subject's relevance in modern art with the rise in popularity of photography. Disillusioned, Max began sketching stars and cosmic characters, simultaneously rediscovering his fascination with astrology and accidentally altering his style.
When Max brought his portfolio to a job interview at an advertising agency, the interviewer was intrigued by his vibrant, cosmic sketches and asked to see them. Max left with more than he had originally bargained for.
"He loved my work and handed me 14 projects for the agency," Max said. "The next week, I was given 22 projects."
In the span of 18 months, Max went on to win 66 gold medals in graphic arts design and design awards, all before turning 30 years old. This newfound success brought about media exposure Max had never dreamed of, including countless television appearances and an eight-page cover feature on his work in Time Magazine.
Max began painting presidents beginning with future President Jimmy Carter when he was the governor of Georgia.
"Jimmy and I used to have Saturday afternoon phone conversations," Max said. "His wife, Rosalynn Smith Carter, approached me and said that both she and he were fans of my work and that they wanted me to paint him."
Since then, Max has painted Presidents Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and, most recently, presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain, as well as their wives.
"Every presidential portrait that I have painted has come at the request of someone," he said. "It's an honor to be asked to paint a president."
In addition to his artistic endeavors, Max pioneered the restoration project of the Statue of Liberty.
"The statue was almost 100 years old and was not going to make it," he said. "She had cracks, rust and pieces were missing. She was going to fall apart."
Max called his friend Nancy Reagan after recently completing his portrait of President Ronald Reagan and explained the situation, hoping to find government-sponsored funds to repair the statue or for more guidance. Days later, Max received a phone call from Reagan White House Press Secretary Michael Beaver, who instructed him to check out the private sector. Max teamed up with Chrysler CEO Lee Iacocca, initially raising $3 million dollars, then an unprecedented $20 million. The statue was fully renovated and reopened to the public on July 5, 1986.
"Of all the things that I've done, fixing the statue still blows me away," Max said. "Doors open, especially if the universe wants it to happen."
You can reach this staff writer at dsheldon@theeagleonline.com.
