ML - Vegas Magazine

2014 - Issue 4 - Summer

Vegas Magazine - Niche Media - There is a place beyond the crowds, beyond the ropes, where dreams are realized and success is celebrated. You are invited.

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PHOTOGRAPHY COPYRIGHT PETER MAX 2014 publications, which include Los Angeles Confidential, Gotham, Hamptons, Aspen Peak, Boston Common, Michigan Avenue, Capitol File, Philadelphia Style, and Ocean Drive. The original paintings will be auctioned on the website Charitybuzz starting this month to benefit The Humane Society of the United States. "Las Vegas is remarkable to me in that this city of entertain- ment, lights, and design that draws so many people to it was built up from the Mojave Desert," says Max. "My cover art for Vegas magazine features the amazing oranges, reds, and golds of the desert, its vibrant sun, colorful clouds, and bright stars that go on and on—a fantasy landscape with Red Rock Canyon and Joshua trees. Amid all of the natural beauty are the man- made wonders of Las Vegas—the iconic glowing neon signs that welcomed visitors for decades to experience the legendary singers, dancers, magicians, and performers in town. The historic Stardust neon sign, now resting in the Neon Boneyard in the Neon Museum, mingles with the stars of the cosmos and reminds me of the fantasy, energy, and imagination of this city." In Max's studio—two full-f loor lofts near New York's Lincoln Center— are galleries' worth of his work: a towering portrait of the Statue of Liberty he painted on the White House lawn for President Ronald Reagan in 1981; a multicolored Baldwin piano signed by his pal Ringo Starr; rows of Lucite sculptures taken from his "Angel" series; a painted guitar originally made " MY COVER FOR VEGAS FEATURES THE AMAZING ORANGES, REDS, AND GOLDS OF THE DESERT." —PETER MAX Peter Max, circa 1968, surrounded by some of his posters. for Bon Jovi; and portraits of famous names like Marilyn Monroe and John F. Kennedy, all done in Max's distinctive style. "When you're a singer and you have a really great voice, it's not like you create a voice—it's just there," he says. "I draw on airplanes, I draw in limousines, I draw when I wake up in the morning and in taxicabs." Beyond the studio, Max is a longtime vegetarian and practices yoga and meditation daily—a part of his routine for more than 40 years. He also gives freely of his time, money, and art to benefit animal charities such as The Humane Society of the United States and the Wild for Life Foundation, an equine rescue organization. By his side in all of it is his wife of 17 years, Mary Max. "When I met her, it fueled me," he says, "and she still fuels me today, quite a few years later." He spotted her one day while out for coffee and declared at first sight that he would marry her. Here, in celebration of Max's 50 years of commercial success and his collection of city renderings exclusively for Niche Media, the artist opens up about his unparalleled career, his spirituality and philanthropy, and the famous friends who have inf luenced his work. BEHIND THE BRUSHSTROKES Many artists will agree that it's a struggle to gain recognition, but to keep it and have it last 50 years is staggering. What do you think is the key to your success? It's just being present, letting creativity come through. I'm also really lucky because we live in an age of media. It used to be, when I was on the cover of Life magazine 45 years ago, there were only three magazines—Time, Life, and Fortune. My art got to be on two of those covers. Today there are thousands of magazines out there, and my work has been on 2,000 to 3,000 covers. E arly in your c areer, you st udied a lot of t he ma sters , from Rembrandt to Sargent. So how did you develop your cosmic style? I always used to draw never even thinking that drawing is something you could do [as a career] once you became an adult. In China, I studied with the 6 -year-old daughter of a street artist. Then in Israel, my mother hooked me up with a famous art professor from Austria. After we left Israel and moved to Paris, my mother sig ned me up for the classes for kids at the Louvre. And when we came to America, I found a private teacher, Frank Reilly [at the Art Students League of New York]; after high school I used to go into the city and I studied with him. Frank Reilly went to that school 30 years earlier, and the kid who used to sit beside him was Norman Rockwell. So Norman Rockwell and Frank Reilly studied together, and Rockwell became Rockwell; Reilly became Peter Max's teacher. The Art Students League has some famous alumni, including Jackson Pollock and Cy Twombly. Ever have any celebrity encounters? I once met Marilyn Monroe. The steps to the street were very narrow, and some of the students used to sit on the steps. I sat there one day with a friend of mine and I see this girl walking by, and I did a double take. I said to my friend, "It's Marilyn Monroe," and as she's walking by, she turns to me and says, "I like your pants"—I had a lot of paint on my pants—and then she kept on walking. She was so stunning; all her features were just perfect. I GET BY WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS Many people will recognize your paintings of the Statue of Liberty or the "Love" series, but what do you think your most defining piece is? Painting the Statue of Liberty was a big thing because it's an emblem; it's 84 VEGASMAGAZINE.COM

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