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In local exhibits the age of peace and psychedelia still casts its rays over the works of Peter Max, even when it's tweaked by a modern sensibility.

ST. PETERSBURG - Was there such a thing as a dorm room in the 1960s without a Peter Max poster? I don't remember any.

Max was the populist Pop artist, translating the message of peace, love and rock 'n' roll into iconic images anyone with access to a poster store could own for a few bucks. Compared to his psychedelic color palette and streamlined wonderlands, Andy Warhol's soup cans seemed . . . effete.

But today those soup cans are prized parts of permanent collections in major museums, and Peter Max remains largely ignored by the conventional art world even though he has made a fortune selling his version of a long time gone.

Max's appeal is obvious in the Arts Center's display of posters dating from the 1960s to the present. So are his talent and inventiveness. Then why isn't Max taken more seriously? Maybe he has been too successful; wealthy artists are always suspected of selling out. Probably the deeper, truer reason lies not in his broad popular reach but in the depth of his work. Max for the most part has chosen to strike one note rather than graduate to chords.

That said, I'm removing my art critic beret and suggesting we all relax and enjoy the show, the nostalgia of the older work and the new work that tweaks all the familiar tricks.

On one wall hangs a group of vintage album covers Max customized with paint: The Doors; Byrds; Rolling Stones; Led Zeppelin; Steve Miller Band; Crosby, Stills and Nash; and Janis Joplin are given the Peter Max gloss. They give evidence of his painterly skills.

The posters - for Billboard's 100th anniversary party, a tribute to Duke Ellington, six Grammy Awards ceremonies - are slick and commercial, examples of first-class graphic art and design. Captain Midnight, a riff on comic books from 1968 with Benday dots and collaged images, shows the influence of artists such as Roy Lichtenstein and Robert Rauschenberg. In the Grammy series, Max incorporated the gramophone logo in six novel ways, using different materials that appear to be chalk, acrylic, watercolor. I describe the mediums provisionally because these are mass-produced posters, not even limited-edition prints in most cases. I would have loved to see the originals from which they came.

Drive a few blocks northeast to the Museum of Fine Arts, where a small gallery houses more posters, and, more interesting, a few drawings and collages.

It's all strawberry fields forever, and forever is proving to be as long as we think it is.

Peter Max is well known for his generosity to worthy causes. He's extending it to local organizations in a series of fundraisers this weekend, in conjunction with the exhibitions.

"Imagine . . . for Kids" benefits children's educational arts programs at the museum, Arts Center and Soulful Arts Dance Academy.

Wendy LaTorre, who conceived of "Imagine," said she got the idea after a mutual friend introduced her to Max when she was looking for a contribution to an earlier museum fundraiser for children's arts programs.

"Peter and I started talking about what I was trying to do, about the terrible state of arts funding, and he agreed to help and then said, "the next time let's do it much bigger'."

LaTorre took Max at his word and made him the big draw for this year's fundraiser, which includes a patrons' party Friday in a sponsor's home, cocktail buffet and live auction Saturday, and a lecture Sunday, both at the museum. Max will attend all events.

Among the auction items are a portrait of you and/or family members painted by the artist, a weekend in New York with a visit to Max's studio, ringside seats for a Winky Wright bout, vacation time in a Bahamian beach house with private jet transport, and a dinner cooked in your home by celebrity chef Robert Irvine.

For sale will be Imagine, limited-edition posters Max created for the fundraiser, and Max will sign them.

Tickets for all three events are $500. Individual tickets are $150 for Saturday's party with food from fine local restaurants, entertainment and live auction, and $25, plus museum admission, for Max's talk Sunday. Seating will be limited, so reservations are suggested. For more information, go to www.imagineforkids.com or call the museum at 727 896-2667.

"Peter Max: The '60s and its Music" is at the Arts Center, 719 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, through Jan. 22. Also at the center is the annual holiday show and "Communication," a Project Creo installation. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday. Free admission. (727) 822-7872.

"Peter Max" is at the Museum of Fine Arts, 255 Beach Drive NE, St. Petersburg, through Jan. 22. Also on view are "Art, Love and Life in the Village: Weegee's Wild New York" and "The Sixties Show," works from the permanent collection. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission: $8 adults, $7 seniors, $4 students with ID. (727) 896-2667.