PETER MAX (1937- ) PAN AM 747. 1969. 41 1/2x28 1/4 inches, 105 1/2x72 cm. Condition A- / B+: minor repaired tears, creases and restoration in margins and image; repaired pin holes in corners. Peter Max was born in Berlin, and then fled the Nazis with his parents, settling in Shanghai for a decade. They next moved to Israel, then Paris, and finally Brooklyn, likely providing Max with an array of cultural and artistic inspirations. Strongly influenced by the Art Nouveau movement of the 1890s, Max was one of the Psychedelic movement's most prolific and enduring artists. All of his images are united by his trademark use of bright, psychedelic colors and swirling, free-flowing style, and this advertisement for Pan Am's 747 is no exception. The poster features a photographic image of the airplane, seemingly taking off into the rainbow rays of the solar system, with stars, planets and a weightless, winged figure floating overhead. Not his only connection to air travel, Max was also commissioned in 1999 to paint an actual Continental Airlines Boeing 777-200ER with his signature colorful style.
