Peter Max Drawing on Cloth Restaurant Napkin
Item Details
A marker drawing on a white cloth restaurant napkin by well-listed 20th century Pop artist Peter Max (born 1937). This line drawn image depicts a woman’s face in profile with a demure expression. She wears a patterned headband and celestial bodies are visible behind her to the left. The work is inscribed ‘Marilyn’ and ‘Harry’ along the top and bottom borders of the napkin, for Marilyn and Harry Lewis, owners of the restaurants Hamburger Hamlet and Kate Mantilini in Los Angeles. The work is signed by Max in the upper left corner and dated 1992. This napkin is said to have been produced while Max was having dinner with Marilyn and Harry at Kate Mantilini in Beverly Hills. It is presented under glass, mounted to a black mat backing in a brushed aluminum frame. There is a hanging wire mounted to the verso.
Max received his formal art education in the 1950s at the Art Students League of New York in Manhattan, where he studied under the tutelage of Frank J. Reilly. Max began his career in illustration and graphic arts by creating collage-based works using elements taken from antique photographs. His interest in astronomy led to his self-described “Cosmic ’60s” period, where his art became a symbol of the counterculture with its flamboyant use of bright rainbow colors and psychedelic images. American icons such as Bill Clinton, Taylor Swift, and Mohammed Ali appear in his works, along with other elements such as the Statue of Liberty, peace signs, butterflies, and flying saucers.
Condition
- creasing; toning; surface wear to frame; residue to frame.
Dimensions
- measures frame; visible image measures 20.25"W x 19"H.
Item #
18LAX045-158