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)
Waiting for Rehearsal, 1984

Paul Cadmus

Waiting for Rehearsal, 1984

Sale Date: February 28, 2015

Auction Closed

Untitled (Male), 1984

Paul Cadmus

Untitled (Male), 1984

Sale Date: March 1, 2015

Auction Closed

Mobile, 1954

Paul Cadmus

Mobile, 1954

Sale Date: February 20, 2015

Auction Closed

Mobile, 1953

Paul Cadmus

Mobile, 1953

Sale Date: January 23, 2015

Auction Closed

Waiting for rehearsal (Studio proof #1), 1984

Paul Cadmus

Waiting for rehearsal (Studio proof #1), 1984

Sale Date: December 6, 2014

Auction Closed

The fleet's in, 1934

Paul Cadmus

The fleet's in, 1934

Sale Date: December 7, 2014

Auction Closed

Male Nude #NM91, 1971–1972

Paul Cadmus

Male Nude #NM91, 1971–1972

Sale Date: November 19, 2014

Auction Closed

Sleeping Nude, 1967

Paul Cadmus

Sleeping Nude, 1967

Sale Date: November 19, 2014

Auction Closed

Youth with Kite (Aviator), 1954

Paul Cadmus

Youth with Kite (Aviator), 1954

Sale Date: October 25, 2014

Auction Closed

Dancers Resting, 1974

Paul Cadmus

Dancers Resting, 1974

Sale Date: October 29, 2014

Auction Closed

Waiting for Rehersal, 1984

Paul Cadmus

Waiting for Rehersal, 1984

Sale Date: October 29, 2014

Auction Closed

Shore Leave, 1934

Paul Cadmus

Shore Leave, 1934

Sale Date: October 29, 2014

Auction Closed

Mother and Child, 1934

Paul Cadmus

Mother and Child, 1934

Sale Date: October 29, 2014

Auction Closed

Polo Spill, 1938

Paul Cadmus

Polo Spill, 1938

Sale Date: October 29, 2014

Auction Closed

Youth with Kite, 1941

Paul Cadmus

Youth with Kite, 1941

Sale Date: October 21, 2014

Auction Closed

Waiting for Rehearsal, 1984

Paul Cadmus

Waiting for Rehearsal, 1984

Sale Date: September 29, 2014

Auction Closed

Horseplay, 1935

Paul Cadmus

Horseplay, 1935

Sale Date: September 29, 2014

Auction Closed

Nudo 3, 1984

Paul Cadmus

Nudo 3, 1984

Sale Date: September 23, 2014

Auction Closed

Nudo 1-3 (set of 3), 1984

Paul Cadmus

Nudo 1-3 (set of 3), 1984

Sale Date: September 23, 2014

Auction Closed

Female Nude, 1945

Paul Cadmus

Female Nude, 1945

Sale Date: September 23, 2014

Auction Closed

Bill Miller, 1940–1949

Paul Cadmus

Bill Miller, 1940–1949

Sale Date: September 23, 2014

Auction Closed

George Platt Lynes, 1937

Paul Cadmus

George Platt Lynes, 1937

Sale Date: September 23, 2014

Auction Closed

Dancers Resting, 1974

Paul Cadmus

Dancers Resting, 1974

Sale Date: September 23, 2014

Auction Closed

Waiting for Rehearsal, 1984

Paul Cadmus

Waiting for Rehearsal, 1984

Sale Date: September 23, 2014

Auction Closed