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)
Shore Leave, 1934

Paul Cadmus

Shore Leave, 1934

Sale Date: September 23, 2014

Auction Closed

Stewart's, 1934

Paul Cadmus

Stewart's, 1934

Sale Date: September 23, 2014

Auction Closed

Male nude, 1988

Paul Cadmus

Male nude, 1988

Sale Date: August 5, 2014

Auction Closed

Male Nude (NM 156), 1967

Paul Cadmus

Male Nude (NM 156), 1967

Sale Date: June 12, 2014

Auction Closed

Sleeping Male Nude (NM 254), 1993

Paul Cadmus

Sleeping Male Nude (NM 254), 1993

Sale Date: June 12, 2014

Auction Closed

Seated Male Nude (NM 96), 1972

Paul Cadmus

Seated Male Nude (NM 96), 1972

Sale Date: June 12, 2014

Auction Closed

Male Study (NM 119), 1966

Paul Cadmus

Male Study (NM 119), 1966

Sale Date: June 12, 2014

Auction Closed

Study for Portrait of a Dancer (Z11), 1981

Paul Cadmus

Study for Portrait of a Dancer (Z11), 1981

Sale Date: June 12, 2014

Auction Closed

Jared French Reading, 1930

Paul Cadmus

Jared French Reading, 1930

Sale Date: June 12, 2014

Auction Closed

The House That Jack Built, 1987

Paul Cadmus

The House That Jack Built, 1987

Sale Date: May 22, 2014

Auction Closed

Sketch Class, 1935

Paul Cadmus

Sketch Class, 1935

Sale Date: May 21, 2014

Auction Closed

Dancers Resting, 1974

Paul Cadmus

Dancers Resting, 1974

Sale Date: April 29, 2014

Auction Closed

Nudo 1-3 (set of 3), 1984

Paul Cadmus

Nudo 1-3 (set of 3), 1984

Sale Date: April 29, 2014

Auction Closed

Untitled [Heart] / Correspondence and..., 1920

Paul Cadmus

Untitled [Heart] / Correspondence and..., 1920

Sale Date: April 9, 2014

Auction Closed

Fleet's In!, 1934

Paul Cadmus

Fleet's In!, 1934

Sale Date: March 6, 2014

Auction Closed

Dancers Backstage #2, 1970–1975

Paul Cadmus

Dancers Backstage #2, 1970–1975

Sale Date: December 5, 2013

Auction Closed

Nudo #1, 2, 3 (3 works), 1984

Paul Cadmus

Nudo #1, 2, 3 (3 works), 1984

Sale Date: November 11, 2013

Auction Closed

Summer #2, 1979

Paul Cadmus

Summer #2, 1979

Sale Date: November 5, 2013

Auction Closed

Man on a Ledge

Paul Cadmus

Man on a Ledge

Sale Date: October 30, 2013

Auction Closed

Nudo 1-3 (set of 3), 1984

Paul Cadmus

Nudo 1-3 (set of 3), 1984

Sale Date: October 30, 2013

Auction Closed

Twelve Etchings (portfolio of 12 w/justif. & , 1979

Paul Cadmus

Twelve Etchings (portfolio of 12 w/justif. & , 1979

Sale Date: October 30, 2013

Auction Closed

Polo Spill, 1938

Paul Cadmus

Polo Spill, 1938

Sale Date: October 30, 2013

Auction Closed

The Bath, 1934

Paul Cadmus

The Bath, 1934

Sale Date: October 30, 2013

Auction Closed

Shore Leave, 1934

Paul Cadmus

Shore Leave, 1934

Sale Date: October 30, 2013

Auction Closed