Artist searches for former nanny in Shanghai_美文

Artist searches for former nanny in Shanghai

Download

Peter Max recalls crying hard on a ship from Shanghai to Israel with his parents over 60 years ago. After living in Shanghai for more than a decade, the Jewish boy was reluctant to leave behind his Chinese nanny, playmates and pet cat.

Max, now an internationally acclaimed artist, has returned to Shanghai for the first time, and his greatest wish is to find his nanny.

"I became an artist because of her," said Max, who is known for using psychedelic shapes and colors in his paintings and poster designs.

Max was born Peter Max Finkelstein in Germany in 1937. He came to Shanghai with his parents Jacob and Salla Finkelstein in 1938, and lived in the Hongkou Jewish community until 1949.

His nanny was the daughter of a Chinese friend of the Finkelstein family.

"She came to me when I had just turned 3," Max recalled. "She used to come to my home almost every day, walking with me, playing with me and teaching me to draw."

Max does not remember the name, age, or any personal information about his nanny, except that she was a few years older than he, was sweet and always smiling and hugging him. He recalled with emotion how she walked in the park with him, showing him the moon and stars, and taught him to draw freely.

Max brought with him some childhood pictures of his family, who opened the first large clothing store in the neighborhood, hoping his nanny might recognize them.