Peter Max, psychedelic pop art icon of the 1960’s, dead at 88

Nancy Dillon | Rolling Stone | 16th September 2026

Max came to fame in the 1960’s with “trippy” flower power poster art. This reflected his uncanny awareness of contemporary aesthetics, supplemented occasionally by ideas taken from other designers. Even though the art world did not warm to him, his designs on jumbo jets, postage stamps and sporting events ensured enduring cultural relevance. His great ability, says one writer, was “individual expression at corporate scale … a true American art form”.