Color to the Max

Artist Peter Max has been working since the 1960s, when he gained world renown for his psychedelic, counter culture-infused pop art that was reflective of the era. Since then he’s created the official posters for many international events, including the 1994 World Cup and multiple Grammy Awards and Super Bowls. He'll be presenting a show at the Angela King Gallery, opening Nov. 11, 5-8 p.m.

What’s your connection to New Orleans? I’ve been to New Orleans many, many times; I show at a gallery there, Angela King Gallery. I got to know her and we’ve been good friends – Angela King is a great art dealer, and I’ve had gallery shows with her. It’s been a very wonderful history for me.

What’s the show called and what’s the theme of it? It’s a Peter Max show, it’s a gallery show of my work. It’s many, many, pieces. Dozens and dozens – maybe over 100 pieces in the show.

Can you tell me about some of the specific pieces that will be in the show? It’s hard to think of which pieces go in, but overall it’s pieces of my creativity, it’s things I do every day. I draw and paint. These are the kinds of things that are going to wind up over there for them to see, and that’s it. It’s a very rich thing to be in the gallery show and to be in the room where I’ve created all the things, and I’m there being with 100 people or more and this stuff is all over the walls, it’s just unbelievable to me.

What are the things that are inspiring your work recently? I draw and paint every single day so I’m just filled with ideas, inventions, concepts – all categories. Every day I create new things I never knew I could do and I’m doing them and it’s just like, day after day it just fills up my mind, the beautiful things I’ve done. I do creativity all day long – that’s what I do, it’s amazing.

Is there anything that’s happening in the world right now that’s inspired your art? Well, the world itself is a very inspirational place. Whether it’s China, whether it’s global this, global that. So much going on, I just love it all. Just turns me on left and right, every which way. From the morning I get up, ’til the night I go to sleep.

You paint every single day. Ever just not feel like it? Hardly. I’m always creative. Twenty-four hours a day it’s creativity. It’s a doodle, it’s a drawing, it’s a sketch, it’s something. Always being creative.

You’re creating the cover of this month’s issue of New Orleans Magazine. Can you tell me about that? Joan of Arc, Canal Street streetcar, editor-in-chief of the magazine, fleur-de-lis – When I do these things, I still don’t know what I’m doing until it’s done and I go “Oh, wow, look what I just did.” I follow what creativity does to me, then I can’t believe I did it.

For more information about the show, visit AngelaKingGallery.com.

 

 

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