Peter Max Retrospective Art Exhibit Coming to CV Art & Frame Gallery Sept. 8-15

Photography Provided by Peter Max

From September 8 through 15, Central Indiana and surrounding residents will have the chance to view and purchase original art from a newly curated collection by Peter Max, a world-renowned American artist whose work spans 60 years.

Known for his use of bold, vibrant colors and incorporation of iconic American imagery, Max’s body of work crosses multiple mediums including painting, drawing, etching and digital media, and includes portraits of seven U.S. Presidents, album cover designs for Aretha Franklin and the music group Yes, and the design of a ten-cent postage stamp for the U.S. Postal Service to commemorate the 1974 World’s Fair in Spokane, Washington. 

“I love all mediums,” says Max, who has appeared multiple times on “The Tonight Show” with Johnny Carson and was featured on the cover of LIFE magazine in 1969. “Not only painting canvases, but also printing posters and making graphic editions, drawing with pen or black or colored pencils, painting with watercolors, etchings – I love them all. These mediums feel personal when I create them, and they are intimate, creating a bond with my fans and collectors.”

CV Art and Frame Fine Art Gallery at 110 South Main Street in Zionsville will host the event, which is free to the public and is part of a U.S. exhibition tour showcasing Max’s work including stops in Texas and Virginia. The exhibit kicks off with a reception and uncrating party on September 7.

CV Gallery hosted a similar, three-day exhibit of Max’s work two years ago, which Owner and Executive Director Barbara Jennings says between 700 and 800 people attended, including locals and visitors from Ohio and Illinois.

“Because of the success of the event in 2016, the folks who handle the roadshow reached out to me to discuss doing it again,” Jennings says. “People here locally have been asking if we’re doing another one since that first exhibit. We’re excited to be showcasing Peter’s original artwork again.”

Born in Germany in 1937, Max was raised in China and Israel before his family eventually settled in New York in the mid-1950s. He studied formally at the Art Students League of New York in Manhattan, developing the skills in oil painting, light and shadow and anatomy that he says provided a classical foundation that underlies the expressionistic style for which he later became known.

Max has served as the official artist for the 1994 World Cup, the NFL Super Bowl, the Indy 500, the 2006 Olympics and the Grammy Awards.

The upcoming exhibit features works from all phases of Max’s six-decades-and-counting career, such as his “Cosmic Runner” and “Love” pieces from the 1960s and several patriotic works including “Liberty Head” and “Flag with Heart.”

Those attending will see works specific to Central Indiana as well, including a hand-painted Colts helmet, a painted racing helmet that serves as an homage to Dale Earnhardt and a state-of-Indiana piece Max painted specially for the exhibition.

“The people I’ve met in Indiana are so kind and big-hearted, and I painted their big heart boldly right on their state,” Max says. “I really love honoring great cities like Indianapolis and Zionsville and their people in my work.”

Jennings says all of the artwork on display will be available for acquisition. Complimentary gallery receptions will be held on September 14 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., and on the 15th from 4 p.m to 8 p.m. RSVPs are encouraged.

“Peter’s work really strikes a chord with people, especially in that generation that was younger back in the ‘60s and ‘70s because that was the first artist they started to identify with,” Jennings says, adding that Max, 80, will be unable to attend the event. “His colors just hit you – they’re so bold. He really came to prominence during the Beatlemania era of love and peace, so it takes people back a few decades, and that excitement and nostalgia is really fun to see.”

For more on the works of Peter Max, including exhibition updates, visit petermax.com. Visit cvartandframe.com for more info, preview images and exhibit updates.

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