Talk:Peter Max

Not the Yellow Submarine artist

In case anyone is tempted to add this info to the article, please note that Peter Max was not the artist, nor the inspiration, behind the Beatles' Yellow Submarine. That was another German-born graphic designer, Heinz Edelman. - dcljr 07:32, 8 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Funny, his gallerist made exactly this claim to me when I saw his exhibition in San Francisco. Edelman has denied the claim. --Gorgonzilla 13:44, 26 March 2006 (UTC)

In an interview, Max said he submitted lots of paintings for the inspiration, but it was 2 years later by the time they raised the money, and he couldn't go to Germany, so he reccommended Edelman for the job. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 64.122.63.142 (talk) 13:50, 22 September 2008 (UTC)

When and where did this interview appear? I'm suspicious of the claim that it took two years to raise money for the film. It seems unlikely The Beatles would have had a problem raising money for such a project. And the film was not produced in Germany! ...Also, I defy anyone to find documentation that supports the assertion that Max was involved in the 7-UP Uncola campaign. The style of some of the work is similar to Max, but that style was everywhere. Among artists who did work on the campaign were Milton Glaser, John Alcorn and Kim Whitesides. Pat Dypold, pretty much unknown outside of the campaign, did more of the graphic work than any other single artist. Relgif (talk) 22:51, 3 June 2012 (UTC)

In the special features included on the initial DVD release of the film, Edelman mentions the character design work that he himself did on the 4 Beatles. I know it's a moot point, but sources do not support Max being involved with YS. Mr. Max himself is not a reliable source presently due to the dementia/Alzheimers with which he is afflicted.THX1136 (talk) 23:11, 8 February 2020 (UTC)

Just to add to the conversation. I'm currently reading an interview in Collector's Weekly with Bob Treat, a knowledgeable collector of 7-Up memorabilia. Both CW and Treat state that the work for the Uncola campaign that spanned 69-mid 70s was submitted to the J.Walter Thompson Co. of Chicago for that campaign anonymously by folks both inside and outside the company. Peter Max did submit work, but none of his art was selected by the 7-Up folks for the ad campaign. None. Treat also mentions Dypold as having done the lion's share of the Uncola ad artwork as mentioned above. Here's the link for those who may doubt this info: https://www.collectorsweekly.com/articles/collecting-7ups-most-beautiful-hallucinatory-billboards/. Also, I am removing the mention of Max having worked on the Uncola ad campaign as it is in error. THX1136 (talk) 23:02, 19 October 2022 (UTC)

Deleting "mostly patriotic" line

I'm deleting the line that says Max produced "mostly patriotic works of art" -- I've looked at his available works, and can't find anything that qualifies as specifically "patriotic" aside from his poster to benefit the Pentagon 9/11 Memorial Fund and his "Flag with Heart" series.

Sorry, forgot to sign -- Cactus Wren 21:34, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

--68.103.154.140 02:32, 27 August 2006 (UTC)

Infamous?

What makes the Peter Max-painted 777 "infamous"? Kafziel ^Talk 20:53, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

it should be noted that not only is the plane certainly NOT infamous, it is also an idea taken directly from Alexander Calder's paintging of Branif jets in the mid 70s. The idea is neither new nor infamous. Maybe the original writer doesn't understand the meaning of the word infamous.

Dale Earnhardt had a scheme that was inspired by Mr. Max

i think that should be added, at the 2000 winston, dale sr ran a multi-colored car which was desighned by sam bass, but it was inspired by peter max —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Racerboy (talk • contribs) 04:43, 10 February 2007 (UTC).

Cut-n-Paste job? No references, no markup

There was an masse re-edit that overwrote whatever previous article was in progress... It looks kind of like a cut-n-paste job from somewhere. Without any references, I would tend to believe that this is a possible copyright violation... Michael (talk|contrib) 06:50, 21 August 2007 (UTC)

I just noticed that the previous edit (mentioned above) was just made earlier this evening; sorry if I edited your work-in-progress. Michael (talk|contrib) 06:58, 21 August 2007 (UTC)

Cow pic?

Is there really a cow pic "courtesy of" the farm? If so, did it get lost along the way? also, I wikified some of the admiring language into something more encyclopedic. Hope that's okay.Julia Rossi 00:48, 28 August 2007 (UTC)

Is this the 'same cow image' (Peter Max style image of a cow jumping over the moon) that was used for many years for the NAVS Vegetarian Summerfest? The 'Cindy Moo' image does NOT LOOK like that image.MaynardClark (talk) 00:12, 17 September 2026 (UTC)

References

How Many Seas Are There?

And just what is a "48 sea voyage"? rowley (talk) 17:35, 8 March 2009 (UTC)

His Corvette Collection

Why does Wiki user 'Swinglens' want to keep the current condition and status of these cars a secret? (because, it's not. It WAS in the news: http://nymag.com/nymetro/news/people/columns/intelligencer/11902/

(also, see: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/censorship)

Military service

In the section regarding his activities during the 1970's, Max was noted as being drafted by the US Army in 1972. That would have made him a draftee in his thirties at a time when the war was winding down. Can anyone confirm his dates of military service? I did not see a mention of military service on his website. Thanks! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 65.119.125.2 (talk) 20:15, 30 December 2009 (UTC)

Advert / POV

This "article" reads like the bio page from Max's website. Tons of glowing POV without references... I like Max's art, that's why I looked this page up. But GOOD GRIEF! Most of the IP edits have a history of editing THIS article only. WORD. 76.22.32.86 (talk) 18:31, 12 June 2011 (UTC)

Peter Max as devotee of Sri Swami Satchidananda

After serving his guru for many years, in 1966 he visited New York City at the request of the artist Peter Max. Soon after his initial visit, Satchidananda formally moved to the United States and eventually became a citizen. From his new home he spread his teachings of yoga, selfless service, ecumenism and enlightenment.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satchidananda_Saraswati

NOTE: I am sure that there is more information on the relationship, as he did (or allowed) some of his art to be used for books of Satchidananda's. don't have time to research it right now, but it's out there, check out Yogaville website or even Amazin,com. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Okilloran (talk • contribs) 19:35, 16 August 2013 (UTC)

Recent "Kidnapping" story

I removed this URL from the External Links -- http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/artist-peter-max-wife-held-article-1.2388258. Correct me if I'm wrong (I'm new), but there's nothing of encyclopedia value here, is there? It seems to be a lot of inconsequential hearsay and celebrity gossip to me. MushuNeak (talk) 18:36, 22 December 2015 (UTC)

External links modified

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Possibly true

It is written: "His work is an indispensable guide for cultural literacy of the 1960s...." This may or may not be true. It is, however, merely someone's personal, subjective opinion.96.248.101.32 (talk) 02:08, 8 December 2017 (UTC)Sergeant Pieper

Advert - Article needs a thorough review, if not a rewrite

I've been monitoring this article to try to tone down the promotional editing, but never looked very closely at the history or for new references. I think the recent cleanup is a very good step, and I'm not going to restore the Advert tag, but I think the article would greatly benefit from a more thorough review, if not a rewrite. Briefly looking at the history, too much of the editing seems piecemeal, and I'm especially concerned at how many edits like these may have removed better content or sources. --Ronz (talk) 16:27, 3 June 2018 (UTC)

"recently painted"

And the sources are from 2010 and 2017. 94.191.137.41 (talk) 07:54, 22 September 2025 (UTC)

Lead

@User:Neveselbert, exactly what makes you believe that my expansion to the lead is AI generated and a dis-improvement to the article. Also bringing in @User:Hipal to explain they believe it's WP:UNDUE. A.Classical-Futurist (talk) 23:06, 20 September 2026 (UTC)

I would also like to know Neveselbert's thought process here. I don't see any indication that AI has been used here. TheBritinator (talk) 23:27, 20 September 2026 (UTC)

I explained partially why it's UNDUE in my edit summary, rv lede expansion - much of that is grossly UNDUE - detracts from notability and main accomplishments.

I should have brought up WP:LEDE as well.

What further explanation is needed?

I can see how it might come across as AI generated, summarizing pieces of the article with little apparent regard to the weight of the sources and the areas of notability. --Hipal (talk) 23:56, 20 September 2026 (UTC)

I agree entirely with Hipal. The addition of links to non-existent articles and use of the serial comma came across as AI-generated, but in any case, your expansion was wholly disproportionate overkill (see MOS:LEADBIO, emphasis mine: When a subject dies, the lead need not be radically reworked; Wikipedia is not a memorial site. Unless the cause of death is itself a reason for notability, a single sentence describing the death is usually sufficient, and often none is included in the lead at all, just a death date.). ‑‑Neveselbert (talk · contribs · email) 01:29, 21 September 2026 (UTC)

I was not attempting to rework the lead because of his death, I was attempting to expand the lead to bring it semi-up to par with those like [Edward Hopper]] or Vincent van Gogh: one that summarizes the article as a whole like I have done in the past with people like John Pinette. Also, MOS:LEADBIO only covers the first paragraph, nothing after. While what I wrote might have been a bit over-detailed, you seem to be suggesting that a single paragraph is sufficient for all biographies, that (for example) the 5 paragraphs following the 1st in the lead of Donald Trump should be deleted. Is that what I am to understand? A.Classical-Futurist (talk) 03:53, 21 September 2026 (UTC)

It simply isn't necessary here. One or two paragraphs is sufficient for an article of this length. ‑‑Neveselbert (talk · contribs · email) 04:09, 21 September 2026 (UTC)

What about this: "Born in Berlin, he was influenced by the colors and calligraphy at a Buddhist temple in Shanghai and spent time studied painting at the Louvre and the Art Students League of New York. He opened his first art studio in the 1960s where he designed posters for hippie political gatherings and designed the official artwork for the US Bicentennial and events such as 1994 World Cup, the Grammy Awards, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. During his career, he also faced legal issues for federal tax evasion and embezzlement."

Fine tune it if you need, but I believe this would work as a second paragraph for the lead. A.Classical-Futurist (talk) 04:37, 21 September 2026 (UTC)

I'm not sure how that summarizes the article well, or highlights the most notable aspects of his life. Can you explain why you've chosen that information? --Hipal (talk) 16:46, 21 September 2026 (UTC)

Background/education/influence to Early work to Major/high profile works to controversies (the final sentence is abid not entirely necessary) A.Classical-Futurist (talk) 17:09, 21 September 2026 (UTC)

I'm glad you see that the final sentence is questionable.

Max is not comparable to any of the articles you mention (and I think you overdid the lede for Pinette).

Anything pre-60s appears UNDUE given the article and sources, with the exception of his education at Art Students League of New York. --Hipal (talk) 17:50, 21 September 2026 (UTC)

Oh I completely agree here with the points made. It is an absolute vanguuplank. It is almost as bad as the fact that Terry-Thomas doesn't have an infobox! StartingAgainAgain (talk) 02:07, 25 September 2026 (UTC)