About Malcah Zeldis

Name variants

Malcha Zeldis
  • Biography

    Malcah Zeldis (born Mildred Brightman; September 22, 1931) is a Jewish American folk painter. She is known for work that draws from a mix of biblical, historical, and autobiographical themes.

    Malcah Zeldis was born in the Bronx, New York, and raised in a Jewish ghetto in Detroit, Michigan. Her father faced work discrimination for his religion and the family was poor, but eventually moved to a middle-class neighborhood. However, Zeldis looks back on her years in Detroit fondly, stating that what she remembers best is the nature. She also remembers weekend visits to the Detroit Institute of Arts where she recalls being taken by brightly colored Flemish paintings full of small figures. These paintings would later inspire her colorful wo...

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