Miss Liberty Celebration

Malcah Zeldis, Miss Liberty Celebration, 1987, oil on corrugated cardboard, 54 ¹⁄₂ x 36 ¹⁄₂ in. (138.4 x 92.7 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr., 1988.74.14, © 1987, Malcah Zeldis

Artwork Details

Title: Miss Liberty Celebration
Artist: Malcah Zeldis
Date: 1987
Location: Smithsonian American Art Museum
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Luce Foundation Center
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3rd Floor
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23B
Dimensions: 54 ¹⁄₂ x 36 ¹⁄₂ in. (138.4 x 92.7 cm)
Copyright: © 1987, Malcah Zeldis
Credit Line: Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr.
Mediums: oil
Mediums Description: oil on corrugated cardboard
Classifications: Painting
Subjects: Figure group
Cityscape — New York — New York
Waterscape — harbor — New York Harbor
Ceremony — holiday — Fourth of July
Ceremony — other — fireworks
Monument — statue — Statue of Liberty
Object Number: 1988.74.14
Linked Open Data: https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1988.74.14

Artwork Description

Malcah Zeldis refers to this painting as an "exultation of survival," painted after her recovery from cancer in 1986, the same year as the centennial celebration of the Statue of Liberty. She includes herself (in the red dress at the lower right) alongside American icons like Elvis and Miss America in a celebration of liberty and life—personally from her sickness, and universally for the diversity of Americans.

Exhibition Label, Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2006