Pop artist Peter Max dies at 88

Peter Max, a German-American Jewish pop artist known for his vibrant, psychedelic artwork, died on Monday at age 88 in a Manhattan hospital. Born Peter Max Finkelstein in Berlin in 1937, he fled Nazi persecution with his family, living in Shanghai and Haifa, Israel, before settling in Brooklyn at 16. His early experiences in Shanghai and art lessons in Israel influenced his distinctive style, which became iconic in 1960s American culture. Max's son, Adam Max, announced his father's death on Wednesday, stating, "We will remember his extraordinary creativity, his warmth, his curiosity, and the way he saw beauty and possibility everywhere." Max was the official artist for numerous major events, including the Olympics and the Super Bowl. Despite his success, he faced controversies, including a 1997 tax fraud conviction and a family dispute over his finances in his later years, which were marked by dementia.