Peter Max, Psychedelic Pop Artist Behind Flower Power Imagery, Dies at 88

Peter Max, the artist whose swirling, neon-hued designs became synonymous with the optimism of the 1960s, has died at 88. His son Adam Max confirmed the death in a written statement on Wednesday, saying his father passed away on Monday. No cause was disclosed.

Born Peter Max Finkelstein in Berlin in 1937 to a Jewish family, he fled Nazi Germany as an infant and lived in Shanghai, Tibet, Israel and Paris before settling in New York at 16. He studied at the Art Students League, the School of Visual Arts and Pratt Institute, and opened a graphic design studio in 1961.

His bold style quickly found commercial success. By the late 1960s and early 1970s, his murallike tableaus of flowers, cosmic scenes and cartoonish figures in turquoise, orange and neon green appeared on dorm-room posters, clocks, bedspreads and even Manhattan Yellow Pages covers. He was featured on the cover of Life magazine in 1969.

Max served as official artist for the Olympics, the Super Bowl, the Indianapolis 500, the World Cup and the World Series, among other events. His work adorned a Boeing 777 and a Norwegian Cruise Line ship, and his portrait subjects ranged from U.S. presidents to Taylor Swift. New York's Museum of Modern Art owns seven of his works.

Reflecting on his commercial ubiquity, Max once said his work appeared on "70 product lines," from mugs to bedsheets. But the success bothered him because he "wasn't painting anymore," prompting him to shut down his business for a time in the early 1970s. He later created a series of Statue of Liberty portraits at the White House in 1981 at the invitation of first lady Nancy Reagan.

His career was not without controversy. He pleaded guilty to tax fraud in 1997 after the IRS alleged he concealed more than $1 million in income; he was allowed to serve his sentence in a work-release program, pay back taxes and a $30,000 fine, and perform 800 hours of community service teaching art in Harlem schools. In 2015, his family life became tabloid fodder amid a dispute between his second wife, Mary, and his son Adam.

Max, who was friends with the Beatles and had a deep interest in Eastern spirituality, brought Swami Satchidananda Saraswati to the U.S. and helped popularize yoga. He is survived by his wife Mary, son Adam Cosmo and daughter Libra Astro. His first marriage, to Elizabeth Nance, ended in divorce.

"We will remember his extraordinary creativity, his warmth, his curiosity, and the way he saw beauty and possibility everywhere," Adam Max said. "His art became part of American culture, but the man behind that art — the father we knew and loved — is the person we will miss most."