Peter Max
(b.1937)
"Right Now," 1970
Acrylic on canvas with screenprinted elements
Signed and dated lower left: Peter Max; titled by repute
65" H x 73" H
Provenance: Private Collection: Newport Beach, CA.

Peter Max was born in Germany in 1937, and he immigrated to the United States with his family in 1953. Drawing inspiration from the marvels of New York City, Max began attending the Art Students League & School of Visual Arts in 1956 under the tutelage of the noted realist artist Frank Reilly.

In the early 1960s, Max began winning awards for book cover illustrations and graphic designs. "Right Now," painted in 1970, epitomizes the hippy counterculture zeitgeist that spread throughout the United States during the previous decade. In the work, we see an abstracted shape of a head, a flying angel, and other visual elements that are characteristic of Maxis oeuvre during this era.

This work, which has remained in a private collection since 1971, is among the largest examples of Peter Max's early oil paintings to have ever come to market.

Visual: Overall good condition. Dust accumulation and grime commensurate with age, primarily visible in the blue pigments. Fading to the darker purple outlining throughout. Stretcher bar crease in the upper left quadrant. Areas of craquelure in the upper left quadrant and in the magenta pigment, near the center. A small 0.25" H x 0.125" W area of pigment loss extending from the upper right edge.

Blacklight: Scattered areas of touchups through the upper left and right quadrants of the work, the largest measuring 0.5" H x 0.75" W.

Frame: 66" H x 74" W x 1.25" D Condition reports are offered as a courtesy and are typically published in Moran's catalogue or can be made available upon request. The absence of a condition report does not imply that an item is free from defects or restoration, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of others. Buyers are responsible for determining to their own satisfaction the true nature and condition of any lot prior to bidding. Though buyers are not legally required to inspect lots prior to purchase, failure to do so may constitute a waiver of complaint that an item was not delivered in a condition equal to the existent condition at the auction.