Michigan Avenue - Niche Media - Michigan Avenue magazine is a luxury lifestyle magazine centered around Chicago’s finest people, events, fashion, health & beauty, fine dining & more!
Issue link: http://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/335804
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. Then I hooked up with some people at certain art schools who were very design-oriented. For someone who studied realism, your painting style is not neces- sarily realist.… No, I'm kind of impressionistic. Realism gave me the skill to paint, but my eye was more into design-ery art. The Art Students League has produced some very 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? There are so many defining pieces. Painting the Statue of Liberty was a big " I ALWAYS DAYDREAMED ABOUT AMERICA AS A CHILD GROWING UP IN SHANGHAI. I WAS MESMERIZED WITH AMERICAN CULTURE THROUGH COMIC BOOKS, AMERICAN JAZZ RADIO, AND HOLLYWOOD MOVIES." —PETER MAX thing because it's an emblem; it's the symbol for the United States of America, so it got so much attention. Then I've painted so many unbeliev- able people, like the Dalai Lama, John F. Kennedy—I mean, close to 800 unbelievable portraits. You've painted portraits of all of the Beatles, who also just celebrated 50 years in America. Over the years, your work has been linked many, many times to the band—tell us more about that relationship. I met John way, way back, and I was best friends with Yoko Ono. One day I read in the paper that my little friend Yoko was going out with John. I knew John, I knew Yoko; I could have introduced them in a second. I called her up and she said, "Yeah, John tells me he knows you really well." I used to go pick both of them up at the Dakota, where she lives, and we used to go to Central Park. We used to walk around and bullshit and talk and sing songs for years. Here in your studio, you have a colorful piano that's signed "To Peter, Love Ringo…." I did a Baldwin piano for Ringo Starr, and he loved it. Then Baldwin called me up and said, "We love it so much, we're going to send you a piano." Two days later, they deliver it, the guys assemble it, and I roll out my paints and start painting the piano beautiful colors. Just as I'm finishing, my girl comes from the front desk and says, "Your buddy Ringo is here." Ringo had been uptown and wanted to say thanks; instead he said, "I like yours better!" I said, "No, Ringo, yours is the first; it's the nicest." He asked if I had paints and Max sketching at a 1971 gallery show, surrounded by some of his work. Max visited The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in the late 1960s. 120 MICHIGANAVEMAG.COM