Max wife asked for divorce
MARY Max, wife of famed pop artist Peter Max, has accused her stepson of keeping Max away from her in a tugofwar family court battle. But just last year she threatened the painter with a pricey divorce when he allegedly wouldn’t give her more money.
Mary has accused Max’s son Adam Max in court papers of holding his 77yearold dad against his will at an “unknown location within New York City.” In the civil case, Mary claims that Peter has “mild dementia” and “has called me several times asking me why I have not called him recently.” And she misses, “giving him showers, dressing him, and playing memory games.” His friends insist that Max still works every day.
But just last year Mary told Peter through a lawyer she was broke and would file for divorce to get more money, even though she “loves him.”
“Only a week ago, Mary did not have the money to pay the bills, including some of her medical expenses,” Mary’s attorney wrote Peter on June 25, 2014. “I understand that you and Mary have discussed various solutions to Mary’s cash flow deficit, including placing her on a payroll for $5,500 per week . . . However, none of these conversations have materialized with concrete action.”
The letter warns Peter: “You and Mary have a postnuptial agreement . . . which contains clearly defined obligations on your part . . . Mary has told me she loves you and would prefer not to seek to en force those obligations . . . Mary is increasingly feeling that she has no alternative but to file for divorce.”
Three weeks later, Mary filed divorce papers in New York State Supreme Court over the “irretrievable breakdown of the marriage.” The couple is still married, even though the court heard this week that Mary “had a 25yearold boyfriend who lived fulltime in the apartment.”
A friend told Page Six, “She’s always been aggressive with him over money, and now we suspect she wants to run away with this boyfriend and take with her whatever she can.” Mary’s attorney’s declined to comment, as did Peter’s attorney. Adam told The Post: “I’m doing everything I can to protect my family and my father.”