Since then, hes gone on to work on a number of projects using a wide variety of mediums.
The artists personal interest in astronomy has also influenced his work throughout his career.
His colorful works often feature cosmic characters and otherworldly scenes.
I’m just wowed by the universe, says the artist.
I’m just glad to do something I love to do.
Max adds, I’m adoring it all.
Read on to discover six fascinating facts about this prolific artist.
Discover six fascinating facts about German-American artist Peter Max.
Hes lived all over the world.
When Max was just 1 year old, his family fled Berlin in 1938 to avoid Nazi persecution.
They then lived in Shanghai, near a Buddhist monastery, until the artist was ten.
Max and his family continued to travel across China and even spent time in Tibet.
When Mao Tse-Tungs army advanced on Shanghai, the family fled to Haifa, Israel.
They stayed there for a few years and then spent several months in Paris.
Max began his first formal art training at the Art Students League of New York in 1956.
He then went on to study at the School of Visual Arts in New York.
His life-long synesthesia experiences inspire his art.
Max hassynesthesia, meaning he experiences the senses differently from most people.
For the artist, color is associated with sound.
He claims to hear colors and see music, and these intense experiences influenced his artwork throughout his career.
Max directly expresses his love of music (especially jazz) through his paintings.
Hes an advocate for animal rights.
Max is an environmentalist, vegan, and advocate of human and animal rights.
In 2002, the artist contributed to the rescue efforts of a cow that escaped from an Ohio slaughterhouse.
He owned 36 vintage Corvettes.
The contest was won by Dennis Amadeo, a carpenter from Long Island who entered only once.
However, instead of having one winner, they distributed one car each to 36 winners.
Find out more about the competitionhere.
Max helped save the Statue of Liberty.
In 1981, he was even commissioned by the White House to create six, eight-foot-tall Lady Liberty canvases.
Today, the Statue of Libertywhich is based on the Roman goddess Libertasis a symbol of freedom and optimism.
However, in the early 1980s, the statue barely resembled a goddess.
The crumbling, cracked statue was in desperate need of restoration.
To celebrate, Max created 11 new Statue of Liberty paintings.
As the statue was unveiled, fireworks exploded in the sky, the artist recalls.
He painted Taylor Swift several times.
Max was also in the area since he had an exhibition in Tampa.
Swift has been a fan of Maxs artwork since childhood.
