“Love,” Copyright Peter Max 2017
STONE HARBOR – Ocean Galleries is honored to host Peter Max in Stone Harbor over Fourth of July weekend for a cosmic 50th anniversary celebration of the “Summer of Love.” Meet Peter Max when he returns to the Jersey Shore with his newest collection of paintings and most-revered imagery spanning five decades.
There will be two opportunities to meet Peter Max over the Fourth of July weekend in Stone Harbor at gallery receptions from 7 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, July 1 and Sunday, July 2. All artwork is available for acquisition and will be personally signed by the artist during the receptions. The exhibit and receptions take place at Ocean Galleries, 9618 Third Ave., Stone Harbor, from Friday, June 30 through Wednesday, July 5. Exhibit hours are 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
For many years, the iconic Peter Max, “America’s Painter Laureate,” has returned to his beloved Stone Harbor over the Fourth of July holiday, always with new artwork painted specifically for the patriotic summer showing at the New Jersey Shore. This year’s exhibition marks the 50th Anniversary of the “Summer of Love” and will include many of Max’s vibrant, cosmic images that captured the spirit of the ‘60s youth movement and were cited by art critics as “the visual counterpart to the music of the Beatles.”
It was the summer of 1967 when as many as 100,000 young people converged in San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury neighborhood and rung in a new era celebrating a simple four-letter word… LOVE. Max explains, “I remember the ‘Summer of Love’ vividly. It was a great cultural revolution, and out of it came the peace movement, ecology, natural foods, yoga, meditation, animal rights and great rock music from Hendrix, Dylan, The Beatles, The Who, Ravi Shankar, The Mamas and the Papas, and so many others. The chords, sounds and rhythms of this era influenced the movement of my brushstrokes, and still do.”
Throughout his incredible artistic career, Peter Max has been the official artist for many national and international events, has painted presidents, world leaders and rock stars, and has created artwork on everything from a Boeing 777 to a 600-foot Woodstock stage. Peter has been the official artist of the GRAMMYs six times, and his recent works feature celebrity portraits of legendary musicians Tom Petty, Lionel Ritchie, Bono and Bruce Springsteen, each of whom have been honored as The GRAMMYs MusiCares person of the year.
Along with the collection of his famous cosmic images celebrating the “Summer of Love,” this year’s exhibition will include numerous paintings created specifically for the Stone Harbor event.
In addition to an extraordinary collection of artwork and custom-framing, Ocean Galleries also offers a variety of handmade crafts from local, regional and national artists in America, such as glass, pottery, jewelry and furniture. All summer exhibitions take place at the Stone Harbor location of Ocean Galleries, which is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily throughout the summer season. The Avalon location of Ocean Galleries, 2199 Ocean Dr., is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call (609) 368-7777 or visit oceangalleries.com.