Miss America Beauty Pageant

Malcah Zeldis, Miss America Beauty Pageant, 1973, oil on masonite, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr., 1998.84.66
Malcah Zeldis, Miss America Beauty Pageant, 1973, oil on masonite, 4840 in. (121.9101.6 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr., 1998.84.66

Artwork Details

Title
Miss America Beauty Pageant
Date
1973
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
4840 in. (121.9101.6 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr.
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on masonite
Classifications
Subjects
  • Ceremony — other — beauty contest
  • Figure group
Object Number
1998.84.66

Artwork Description

Malcah Zeldis spent several years living on a kibbutz in Israel and gave herself the Hebrew name Malcah, which means "queen," when she was nineteen. After she returned to the United States, she began to paint satires of American rituals, including national holidays, funerals, and splashy weddings. Zeldis points up the contrast between the golden blondes who dominate this painting and the dark-haired, dark-skinned people around them. The meaning is unclear, but the image suggests that the artist was coming to terms with a culture very different from what she had known in Israel.

Works by this artist (4 items)

Malcah Zeldis, Miss Liberty Celebration, 1987, oil on corrugated cardboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr., 1988.74.14, © 1987, Malcah Zeldis
Miss Liberty Celebration
Date1987
oil on corrugated cardboard
On view
Malcah Zeldis, Wake, 1974, oil on panel, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of David L. Davies, 1992.37.11
Wake
Date1974
oil on panel
Not on view
Malcah Zeldis, Miss America Beauty Pageant, 1973, oil on masonite, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr., 1998.84.66
Miss America Beauty Pageant
Date1973
oil on masonite
Not on view
Malcah Zeldis, Pieta, 1973, oil on fiberboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson, 1986.65.159
Pieta
Date1973
oil on fiberboard
Not on view