Malcah Zeldis

Malcah Zeldis was born Mildred Brightman on September 22, 1931 in the Bronx, New York. As a child, she grew up in Detroit where her father made a living as a window cleaner. Upon graduation from high school in 1949 with strong Zionist leaning, she went to live in a kibbutz in Israel, married and had two children. Mrs. Zeldis was encouraged to paint by Aaron Giladi who saw her artwork at the Kibbutz. In 1958, Zeldis left Israel and settled with her family in New York. For more than ten years, she was a mother and housewife. Although she was not encouraged to paint and lacked confidence, she finally began to paint seriously after her work was discovered at Brooklyn College. Malcah Zeldis, one of the leading self-taught contemporary artists, is best known for her paintings depicting urban life, historical and religious events, her heroes and her own life. Malcah Zeldis work is the collection of twenty-five museums around the world including the Smithsonian Institution. Malcah Zeldisí artwork has illustrated eleven childrenís books. ©2007 Malcah Zeldis/Artist Rights Society (ARS), New York.