An Exclusive Interview With Max Lehman

Max Lehman has a long history of creating unique works of art. I visited Max and saw many of his works in person at the ART Santa Fe 2019 show. His pieces are moving, and the colors and forms pull you in from the start. I'm happy to bring you this interview and introduce his works to a broader audience.

- By Paula Soito

Paula Soito: Hello Max, It's a pleasure featuring this interview on Art Market Magazine. I know you are originally from the Midwest. Your move from the Midwest to Phoenix, Arizona, made an impact on your development as an artist. How did that shape your artistic path?

Max Lehman: While I was growing up in northern Indiana with my three brothers, I remember having a Mexican babysitter. She was a little older than my parents at the time and would come to stay with us when my parents went out of town. For some reason, she decided to tell me about the native people of Mexico. I don't recall her taking an interest in my brothers regarding this. She would talk to me telling me about a calendar and cities of stone and how the Spanish priests took those away from them.

I took all of it in with a child's understanding. I really don't know why she did this or if she told my parents. Still, my mother later bought me a book about the ancient cultures of Mexico, and that's how I began to learn about the indigenous civilizations of Prehispanic Mesoamerica. My parents moved our family to Arizona in 1973.

I was 12 years old. Arizona was hot, really hot. That was something I never quite came to embrace. However, there was its proximity to Mexico, and we would drive down to the border, taking day trips into towns like Nogales. The border was very different back then.