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)
Mother and Child, 1934

Paul Cadmus

Mother and Child, 1934

Sale Date: October 30, 2013

Auction Closed

YMCA Locker Room, 1934

Paul Cadmus

YMCA Locker Room, 1934

Sale Date: October 30, 2013

Auction Closed

Stewart's, 1934

Paul Cadmus

Stewart's, 1934

Sale Date: October 30, 2013

Auction Closed

Two Boys on a Beach No. 1, 1938

Paul Cadmus

Two Boys on a Beach No. 1, 1938

Sale Date: October 23, 2013

Auction Closed

Dancers Resting (6 works)

Paul Cadmus

Dancers Resting (6 works)

Sale Date: October 23, 2013

Auction Closed

Ninette, 1937

Paul Cadmus

Ninette, 1937

Sale Date: October 23, 2013

Auction Closed

Male nude #JHB3

Paul Cadmus

Male nude #JHB3

Sale Date: October 3, 2013

Auction Closed

Male nude #NM 144 a (Preliminary study for..., 1977

Paul Cadmus

Male nude #NM 144 a (Preliminary study for..., 1977

Sale Date: October 3, 2013

Auction Closed

Study for Bar Italia

Paul Cadmus

Study for Bar Italia

Sale Date: October 3, 2013

Auction Closed

Seated Male Nude, 1976

Paul Cadmus

Seated Male Nude, 1976

Sale Date: September 14, 2013

Auction Closed

Female Nude SS1

Paul Cadmus

Female Nude SS1

Sale Date: October 2, 2013

Auction Closed

Mother and Child

Paul Cadmus

Mother and Child

Sale Date: September 20, 2013

Auction Closed

Study for What I Believe: Hommage to E. M...., 1947

Paul Cadmus

Study for What I Believe: Hommage to E. M...., 1947

Sale Date: September 12, 2013

Auction Closed

Male Nude Seated on a Ledge (NM 158)

Paul Cadmus

Male Nude Seated on a Ledge (NM 158)

Sale Date: September 12, 2013

Auction Closed

Seated Male Nude (NM 93A)

Paul Cadmus

Seated Male Nude (NM 93A)

Sale Date: September 12, 2013

Auction Closed

Male Nude, prostrate

Paul Cadmus

Male Nude, prostrate

Sale Date: September 12, 2013

Auction Closed

Nudo 1-3 (set of 3), 1984

Paul Cadmus

Nudo 1-3 (set of 3), 1984

Sale Date: September 12, 2013

Auction Closed

Two Boys on a Beach, No. 2, 1939

Paul Cadmus

Two Boys on a Beach, No. 2, 1939

Sale Date: September 12, 2013

Auction Closed

Youth with Kite, 1941

Paul Cadmus

Youth with Kite, 1941

Sale Date: September 12, 2013

Auction Closed

Mother and Child, 1934

Paul Cadmus

Mother and Child, 1934

Sale Date: September 12, 2013

Auction Closed

Polo Spill, 1938

Paul Cadmus

Polo Spill, 1938

Sale Date: September 12, 2013

Auction Closed

Three Figures on a Deck, Fire Island, 1954

Paul Cadmus

Three Figures on a Deck, Fire Island, 1954

Sale Date: July 25, 2013

Auction Closed

Mother and Child

Paul Cadmus

Mother and Child

Sale Date: June 12, 2013

Auction Closed

Standing Female Nude, 1963

Paul Cadmus

Standing Female Nude, 1963

Sale Date: June 13, 2013

Auction Closed