Paul Cadmus

(American, 1904–1999)

Paul Cadmus was an American painter, best known for his stylized, high-contrast renderings of male nudes and portraits. In his elegant tempura paintings, Cadmus emphasizes his subjects’ musculature in a style akin to Magical Realism, offering a level of intricate detail beyond observable life. Born on December 17, 1904 in New York, NY, he studied at the Art Students League in 1928 and thereafter worked in field commercial illustration, eventually receiving commissions in 1933 from the New Deal art program and going on to create mural paintings in post offices and other government offices. One of his earliest and most important works was The Fleets In!, a 1934 commission by the Public Works of Art Project of the WPA, wherein he painted a series of portraits of sailors on leave which controversially included a homosexual couple. His work garnered him both critical and commercial success, and he died in Connecticut on December 12, 1999. Cadmus has been featured in numerous important museum exhibitions, including the Whitney Museum in New York in 1996.

Paul Cadmus Artworks

Paul Cadmus (1,435 results)
YMCA Locker Room, 1934

Paul Cadmus

YMCA Locker Room, 1934

Sale Date: May 2, 2019

Auction Closed

Horse-Play, 1935

Paul Cadmus

Horse-Play, 1935

Sale Date: May 7, 2019

Auction Closed

SELECTED IMAGES (10 works), 1937–1946

PaJaMa

SELECTED IMAGES (10 works), 1937–1946

Sale Date: April 5, 2019

Auction Closed

Horseplay, 1935

Paul Cadmus

Horseplay, 1935

Sale Date: March 5, 2019

Auction Closed

Coney Island, 1935

Paul Cadmus

Coney Island, 1935

Sale Date: March 5, 2019

Auction Closed

SALTAIRE, 1940

Paul Cadmus

SALTAIRE, 1940

Sale Date: March 6, 2019

Auction Closed

TONY ON THE ROOF, 1959

Paul Cadmus

TONY ON THE ROOF, 1959

Sale Date: March 6, 2019

Auction Closed

PORTRAIT OF A MAN

Paul Cadmus

PORTRAIT OF A MAN

Sale Date: March 6, 2019

Auction Closed

Waiting for Rehearsal, 1984

Paul Cadmus

Waiting for Rehearsal, 1984

Sale Date: December 2, 2018

Auction Closed

Standing Nude

Paul Cadmus

Standing Nude

Sale Date: December 8, 2018

Auction Closed

Two Boys on the Beach, 1938

Paul Cadmus

Two Boys on the Beach, 1938

Sale Date: December 8, 2018

Auction Closed

STUDIO STUFF, 1958

Paul Cadmus

STUDIO STUFF, 1958

Sale Date: November 16, 2018

Auction Closed

CONEY ISLAND

Paul Cadmus

CONEY ISLAND

Sale Date: November 20, 2018

Auction Closed

Study for

Paul Cadmus

Study for "To E.M. Forster,", 1948

Sale Date: November 20, 2018

Auction Closed

Glenway Wescott, 1938

Paul Cadmus

Glenway Wescott, 1938

Sale Date: November 20, 2018

Auction Closed

West 10th and West Streets

Paul Cadmus

West 10th and West Streets

Sale Date: September 20, 2018

Auction Closed

Male Nude TS 12, 1956

Paul Cadmus

Male Nude TS 12, 1956

Sale Date: August 23, 2018

Auction Closed

Nude on ledges NM 277, 1996

Paul Cadmus

Nude on ledges NM 277, 1996

Sale Date: August 23, 2018

Auction Closed

Reclining Nude NM 2291, 1992

Paul Cadmus

Reclining Nude NM 2291, 1992

Sale Date: August 23, 2018

Auction Closed

Nudo, 1984

Paul Cadmus

Nudo, 1984

Sale Date: August 23, 2018

Auction Closed

THE FLEETS IN

Paul Cadmus

THE FLEETS IN

Sale Date: July 21, 2018

Auction Closed

POLO SPILL

Paul Cadmus

POLO SPILL

Sale Date: July 21, 2018

Auction Closed

Tennessee Williams, 5 St. Luke's Place, New..., 1943

PaJaMa

Tennessee Williams, 5 St. Luke's Place, New..., 1943

Sale Date: June 14, 2018

Auction Closed

Studies of Cats, 1935

Paul Cadmus

Studies of Cats, 1935

Sale Date: June 14, 2018

Auction Closed