How many children did Peter Max have? All about family as psychedelic artist passes away

Pop and psychedelic artist Peter Max died at age 88 in Manhattan. His art famously appeared on postage stamps, cruise ships, and numerous magazine covers, including LIFE Magazine.

Peter served as the official artist for multiple Super Bowls, the World Cup and the Olympics and painted portraits of numerous U.S. presidents. He was diagnosed with advanced Alzheimer's disease and dementia, leading him to pause painting around 2015.

Peter Max had two children from his first marriage to Elizabeth Ann Nance – son Adam Cosmo Max and daughter Libra Astro Max. After his divorce from his first wife, he married Mary Balkin. She passed away in June 2019.

They co-own Peter Max’s company, ALP Inc. The company name comes from their initials: A for Adam, L for Libra and P for Peter. ALP Inc. produces, markets, licenses, and commercializes Peter’s artwork. Each holds about 40% of the shares in the company.

Continue reading for more information.

Everything you need to know about Peter Max’s family

Peter Max’s death was confirmed by his son, Adam Max in a statement but no cause of death was shared with the public.

The statement read:

“We will remember his extraordinary creativity, his warmth, his curiosity, and the way he saw beauty and possibility everywhere. His art became part of American culture, but the man behind that art – the father we knew and loved – is the person we will miss most.”

Peter Max was born as Peter Max Finkelstein in October 1937 to a Jewish family in Berlin. He was the only child. His father, Jakob Finkelstein, was a businessman involved in export and import. His mother, Sala Finkelstein, served as a fashion designer in Berlin before their family emigrated to Shanghai.

After traveling from Tibet to Israel and later to Paris, they finally settled in New York City. At that time, Peter was 16. He became inspired by American culture, comics, movies and jazz music. He attended the Art Students League in New York and opened a graphic design studio. His bold and unique design became an immediate hit in pop culture, ad agencies, publications and the corporate world. He said:

“My work was really, I would say, almost exploited. It was on mugs, it was on bedsheets, it was on dresses, it was on silks and scarves and ties — 70 product lines.”

His first marriage was to Elizabeth Ann Nance, a former beauty queen from North Carolina. They welcomed two children: Adam and Libra. They were together from 1963 until their divorce in 1976.

Peter then married Mary Max (née Balkin), an animal rights activist, in 1997. They met by chance on a Manhattan sidewalk a year before their marriage. They had a 30-year age gap.

According to The New York Times report, Mary died by suicide via nitrogen asphyxiation on June 9, 2019. She was then 52. Police discovered her body in her Upper West Side apartment on Riverside Drive in Manhattan. Her death came amid her husband’s worsening dementia and her legal battle with her stepson, Adam, over the management of Peter’s art and wealth.

Adam became more involved in managing ALP Inc. after his father’s health declined around 2012. He served as president and CEO until 2018-19. Libra works as an animal rights activist. She is a vegan and a yogini. She later took over as president and CEO of ALP Inc. after Adam was removed from that role around 2019.

Trending

Beginning his graphic design career in the 1960s, Peter Max created brightly colored graphic images which epitomized the era’s “flower power” art. His paintings were based on the youth counterculture, cosmic imagery and Eastern spirituality, promoting themes of love, peace and universal consciousness.

Taylor Swift, Mick Jagger, The Beatles, Bob Dylan and Ringo Starr are among the famous celebrities who have appeared as Peter's portrait subjects. Peter Max’s artwork was “always on the side of peaceful nature.” He said that he never discussed “negative things” in his paintings. His art featured on a Boeing 777 airplane and a Norwegian Cruise Line ship.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback