Sixities pop artist Peter Max comes to North Jersey

WHAT: "Peter Max Paints America."

WHEN: Noon to 2 p.m. Saturday.

WHERE: Wentworth Gallery, The Shops at Riverside, 390 Hackensack Ave., Hackensack; 201-488-7661.

ALSO: 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Wentworth Gallery, The Mall at Short Hills , 1200 Morris Turnpike, Short Hills; 973-564-9776.

HOW MUCH: Free.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Petermax.com.

Maybe it takes a guy as happy as Peter Max to paint a scene as unhappy as 9/11.

"Yoga got me to bring out all the positiveness," he says. "I dropped all the negativity. There is no word for 'no' in my language."

A painting of the Statue of Liberty, arm upraised, with the twin towers in the background, and another close-up portrait of Lady Liberty looking very glum, are among the 10th anniversary 9/11 images that will be on display (and for sale) at the Wentworth Galleries in Hackensack and Short Hills on Saturday, where Max himself will be holding court.

There will also be some more uplifting images of celebrities like Steven Tyler and Taylor Swift: around 100 pieces at each site, for sale at roughly $2,500 and up.

"I can't believe all the people I met and how they loved my work and complimented me," Max says. "All I wanted to do was compliment them, too."

No one who was around in the late 1960s and early 1970s will need to be told where Peter Max Finkelstein fits in the scheme of things.

Either you saw Peter Max images on posters, record albums, T-shirts, scarves, ties, sneakers, cookware, eyeglasses, wall clocks, pillow cases, stuffed animals, coffee mugs, ashtrays and advertisements, or you saw images that were so similar that you just assumed they were his. When the '60s were at their black-light, flower-power, psychedelic height, Peter Max dominated the head shops, and ruled the pop art roost.

"I got to be friends with Jimi Hendrix, and Janis Joplin," he says. "I worked for every record company, I worked for every artist. I did licensing. In 1969, 1970, 1971, we did $1.1 billion in retail. Can you imagine? In 1969 dollars. It was unbelievable."

This avatar of Aquarius got his start in circumstances where peace and love played little part.

His parents were Jewish refugees from 1930s Berlin. Fleeing the Nazis, they arrived in Shanghai, where young Max lived in a house overlooking a Buddhist temple. From the monks, he learned two things that would become key to his role as a '60s image-maker: calligraphy, and contemplation.

Kiransawhney: Parighasana or The Gate Pose

Am a fitness trainer. I teach aerobics, step, kickboxing, yoga, pilates, aqua, ramp, swiss ball, bosu, weight training, dancercise, tai chi through personal training and E-training . I also train aspiring fitness trainers. I am a devotee of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Ji and follow Art of Living with a zeal. I am also a graduate from NIFT. This blog is about life- Art of Living and teachings and wisdom of my Guru, my daily styles of fashion, fitness tips, health, dance (my another passion), humor, movies, anything and everything that interests and inspires me. If you want to train with me, contact me through the given email. Also visit my website www.fitnesolution.

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