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TENNESSEE STATE MUSEUM TO HOST EXHIBITION OF INTERNATIONALLY-RENOWNED ARTIST PETER MAX
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Contact: Susan Keel
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NASHVILLE, TN, January 22, 2007 – A sweeping art exhibition showcasing decades of work from renowned pop artist Peter Max will be featured at the Tennessee State Museum from March 16 through May 20, 2007.
The retrospective, entitled Peter Max: Maximum Exposure, features more than 80 works created in various media. The exhibition takes visitors through Max’s psychedelic art of the 60s, to his patriotic themes of the 80s and into his current period of pop and modern art. In addition, Max’s special tribute to all things musical – chosen specifically for the Tennessee audience – will be on view.
“We are thrilled to have Peter Max back at the Tennessee State Museum,” said Lois Riggins-Ezzell, executive director of the museum. (In 1993, the museum hosted an exhibition of Max’s work called Peter Max: From Pop to Patriotism.) “His work continues to endure and speaks to the spirit of new generations, as well as to the baby-boomers who have grown up with his explosively-colorful artwork,” Riggins-Ezzell added.
Peter Max: Maximum Exposure will be the featured exhibition during the museum’s annual fundraising gala, the 2007 A Tennessee Waltz, scheduled for April 14. The Waltz, one of Middle Tennessee’s most prestigious events, is the only black-tie event held at the State Capitol each year. It has been sold out for 14 consecutive years. Max will be the visual artist at the 2007 gala and the celebrity guest of the museum’s executive director.
In addition to the Waltz, Max will attend the members-only afternoon reception on Sunday, April 15, where museum members will have the unique opportunity to meet the artist. For membership information in advance of the reception, contact Beth Lekander, membership manager of the museum foundation, at beth.lekander@state.tn.us. Additionally, the museum will present a two-day closing sale, May 19-20, at the end of the exhibition.
Max will make a return visit to the museum for the sale on Saturday, May 19 and on Sunday, May 20, for the closing reception and sale, where he has agreed to sign artworks purchased at the reception. A portion of the proceeds from all sales will benefit the museum’s non-profit foundation.
With paintings in the collections of hundreds of museums and on view in galleries worldwide, Max’s vibrant colors have become part of the fabric of contemporary art and culture, Riggins-Ezzell said. He has been described as a Pop Icon, a Neo-Fauvist, an Abstract Expressionist and the “Painter Laureate” of the U.S.A.
Most recently, Max was selected as an official artist for the 2006 U.S. Olympic Team. His art appears on a Boeing 777 jumbo jet; a 600-foot stage for the Woodstock Music Festival; the covers of Verizon’s New York City yellow and white pages; as well as on an oversized mural unveiled at the 2002 Winter Olympics. Max has been the Official Artist of five Super Bowls, six Grammy Awards shows, the World Cup USA, a World Series, the United Nations Earth Summit, and numerous other events.
Peter Max is a multi-dimensional creative artist who has worked in almost every medium imaginable, including oil, acrylic, watercolor, finger paint, dye, pastels, charcoal, pen and colored pencils while producing etchings, engravings, animation cells, lithographs, serigraphs, silk screens, ceramics, sculpture, collages, video and computer graphics.
Max began his career creating commercial artwork for album covers and book jackets, for which he won several awards. He then moved onto photo collage, where he captured the psychedelic era of the mid 60s. As that decade progressed, the photo collages gave way to his famous “Cosmic 60s” style with its distinctive line work and bold color combinations. Max’s “Cosmic 60s” art, with its transcendental imagery, captured the imagination of an entire generation and catapulted him to continuing international fame, according to Riggins-Ezzell.
The Tennessee State Museum is located at Fifth and Deaderick Streets in downtown Nashville. The museum is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. The museum is closed on Mondays. The museum is free to the public, although a $5 donation is suggested for those visiting the Max exhibition.