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)
George Tooker, Provincetown, 1947

PaJaMa

George Tooker, Provincetown, 1947

Sale Date: June 4, 2015

Auction Closed

George Tooker and Monroe Wheeler, Provincetown, 1947

PaJaMa

George Tooker and Monroe Wheeler, Provincetown, 1947

Sale Date: June 4, 2015

Auction Closed

E. M. Forster, London, 1949

PaJaMa

E. M. Forster, London, 1949

Sale Date: June 4, 2015

Auction Closed

Seated Male (Dino), 1998

Paul Cadmus

Seated Male (Dino), 1998

Sale Date: June 4, 2015

Auction Closed

Bathers at a Mountain Stream, Puerto Rico, 1978

Paul Cadmus

Bathers at a Mountain Stream, Puerto Rico, 1978

Sale Date: June 4, 2015

Auction Closed

Michael A, 1977

Paul Cadmus

Michael A, 1977

Sale Date: June 4, 2015

Auction Closed

Male Nude on an Upholstered Green Chair (NM..., 1967

Paul Cadmus

Male Nude on an Upholstered Green Chair (NM..., 1967

Sale Date: June 4, 2015

Auction Closed

Portrait of a Young Man (Half Length)

Paul Cadmus

Portrait of a Young Man (Half Length)

Sale Date: June 4, 2015

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Male Nude, NM 202, 1976

Paul Cadmus

Male Nude, NM 202, 1976

Sale Date: June 4, 2015

Auction Closed

Male Nude Leaning on Ledge (Z 23)

Paul Cadmus

Male Nude Leaning on Ledge (Z 23)

Sale Date: June 4, 2015

Auction Closed

Male Nude (NM 5), 1965

Paul Cadmus

Male Nude (NM 5), 1965

Sale Date: June 4, 2015

Auction Closed

Sleeping Figure (NM 254), 1993

Paul Cadmus

Sleeping Figure (NM 254), 1993

Sale Date: June 4, 2015

Auction Closed

Jon on Rocking Chair (NM 274), 1996

Paul Cadmus

Jon on Rocking Chair (NM 274), 1996

Sale Date: June 4, 2015

Auction Closed

Reclining Male Nude (Z 26), 1998

Paul Cadmus

Reclining Male Nude (Z 26), 1998

Sale Date: June 4, 2015

Auction Closed

Seated Male Nude (NM163A), 1981

Paul Cadmus

Seated Male Nude (NM163A), 1981

Sale Date: June 4, 2015

Auction Closed

Seated Male Nude (NM 187A, Preliminary Study , 1985

Paul Cadmus

Seated Male Nude (NM 187A, Preliminary Study , 1985

Sale Date: June 4, 2015

Auction Closed

Erotic Study

Paul Cadmus

Erotic Study

Sale Date: June 4, 2015

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Deer Skull, 1997

Paul Cadmus

Deer Skull, 1997

Sale Date: June 4, 2015

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Standing Nude Male

Paul Cadmus

Standing Nude Male

Sale Date: June 4, 2015

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Carabiniere, 1955

Paul Cadmus

Carabiniere, 1955

Sale Date: June 4, 2015

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Ballet Dancer, 1953

Paul Cadmus

Ballet Dancer, 1953

Sale Date: June 4, 2015

Auction Closed

Male Nude Climbing (NM 40), 2002

Paul Cadmus

Male Nude Climbing (NM 40), 2002

Sale Date: June 4, 2015

Auction Closed

Male Nude Reclining on a Sofa (Z 34), 2005

Paul Cadmus

Male Nude Reclining on a Sofa (Z 34), 2005

Sale Date: June 4, 2015

Auction Closed

Fidelma (Cadmus) Kirstein, Provincetown, 1947

Paul Cadmus

Fidelma (Cadmus) Kirstein, Provincetown, 1947

Sale Date: June 4, 2015

Auction Closed