Miss Liberty Celebration

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
Copied 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
Date
1987
Location
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
Mediums Description
oil on corrugated cardboard
Classifications
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

Publication Label

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. Dozens of flags and more than one hundred figures, including famous Americans such as Abraham Lincoln, Albert Einstein, Elvis Presley, and Marilyn Monroe stand with friends and famly of the New York artist to celebrate this icon of freedom. Zeldis has included herself, in a red dress, at the lower right.

Smithsonian American Art Museum: Commemorative Guide. Nashville, TN: Beckon Books, 2015.