Max Arthur Cohn was born in England and was naturalized as a U.S. citizen. He studied at the Art Students League in New York and at the Academie Colarossi in Paris. Cohn is best known as one of the great WPA artists of his day, working is both oils and watercolors. He also pioneered some of the best work in silk screening and published two books on the subject. He exhibited throughout the United States. His work can be found in the collections of a wide range of major museums in the United States, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, as well as the British Museum.