Peter Max was born Peter Max Finkelstein on October 19, 1937, in Berlin, Germany.

In 1938, the Nazi movement was underway, and the Finkelstein family fled to Shanghai, China where they lived for ten years before immigrating to Israel. In the years to come, they lived in Europe, settling in Paris for a time, where Peter began a life-long appreciation for art. In 1953, the Finkelstein family immigrated to the United States settling in Brooklyn, New York. Peter, now 16-years-old, enrolled at Lafayette High School. After graduating from high school, Peter was accepted to the famed Art Students League in New York City where he studied along with many emerging artists including Norman Rockwell.

Peter Max has created commissioned art for five U.S. Presidents: Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush, and Clinton.

His paintings have been exhibited in museums, galleries, universities including but not limited to the following:
Amy Thomas Gallery, Boca Raton, FL
Angela Meleca Gallery, Columbus, OH
Art of Peter Max Gallery, Las Vegas, NV
Art of Peter Max Gallery, Wailea, HI
Bennett Gallery, Nashville, TN
Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC
De Young Museum, San Francisco, CA
Dewey Graff Fine Art, Eden Prairie, MN
Doubletake Gallery, Burnsville, MN
Ethos Arts Inc., Newport Beach, CA
Gallery M, Denver, CO
Geary Gallery, Darien, CT
Godwin-Ternbach Museum, Flushing, NY
Henredon Fine Art, Monument, CO
Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia
Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis, IN
Karis Art & Design Gallery, Hilton Head, SC
Key West Gallery, Key West, FL
Modern Artifact, Minneapolis, MN
Museum of Modern Art, New York City, NY
Ocean Galleries, Stone Harbor, NJ
Off the Wall Gallery, Houston, TX
Onessimo Fine Art, Palm Beach, FL
Park West Gallery, Southfield, MI
Peter Max Studio, New York City, NY
Ro Gallery, Long Island, NY
Russell Collection Fine Art, San Antonio, TX
Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art, Loretto, PA
Tennessee State Museum, Nashville, TN
University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH
University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY
Wentworth Galleries, Atlanta, GA; Bethesda, MD; Boca Raton, FL; Fort Lauderdale, FL; King of Prussia PA; McLean, VA; Schaumburg, IL; Short Hills, NJ; and Wichita, KS

Peter Max on the cover of Life in 1969.

The United States Post Office commissioned Peter Max to create a postage stamp Commemorating the Expo ’74 World’s Fair.

Peter Max created the official 1991 official poster for the New York City Marathon.