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, 1935

Paul Cadmus

Shore Leave, 1935

Sale Date: March 7, 2013

Auction Closed

Coney Island, 1935

Paul Cadmus

Coney Island, 1935

Sale Date: March 7, 2013

Auction Closed

Stewart's, 1934

Paul Cadmus

Stewart's, 1934

Sale Date: March 7, 2013

Auction Closed

Polo Spill, Aspects of Suburban Life

Paul Cadmus

Polo Spill, Aspects of Suburban Life

Sale Date: January 31, 2013

Auction Closed

Horseplay

Paul Cadmus

Horseplay

Sale Date: December 12, 2012

Auction Closed

A pair of photographs of Jared French, 1940

PaJaMa

A pair of photographs of Jared French, 1940

Sale Date: December 11, 2012

Auction Closed

A pair of photographs of Jared French..., 1940

PaJaMa

A pair of photographs of Jared French..., 1940

Sale Date: December 11, 2012

Auction Closed

Figure with a camera, 1939–1940

PaJaMa

Figure with a camera, 1939–1940

Sale Date: December 11, 2012

Auction Closed

Male nude, 1988

Paul Cadmus

Male nude, 1988

Sale Date: December 11, 2012

Auction Closed

Study of a Reclining Nude

Paul Cadmus

Study of a Reclining Nude

Sale Date: November 28, 2012

Auction Closed

Sailors and Floosies

Paul Cadmus

Sailors and Floosies

Sale Date: November 28, 2012

Auction Closed

Seated Nude, Reading, 1961

Paul Cadmus

Seated Nude, Reading, 1961

Sale Date: November 15, 2012

Auction Closed

Two Boys on a Beach, No. 2, 1939

Paul Cadmus

Two Boys on a Beach, No. 2, 1939

Sale Date: November 2, 2012

Auction Closed

Polo Spill, 1938

Paul Cadmus

Polo Spill, 1938

Sale Date: November 2, 2012

Auction Closed

Shore Leave, 1935

Paul Cadmus

Shore Leave, 1935

Sale Date: November 2, 2012

Auction Closed

Horse-play, 1935

Paul Cadmus

Horse-play, 1935

Sale Date: November 2, 2012

Auction Closed

Going South, 1934–1936

Paul Cadmus

Going South, 1934–1936

Sale Date: November 2, 2012

Auction Closed

Arabesque, 1947

Paul Cadmus

Arabesque, 1947

Sale Date: October 31, 2012

Auction Closed

Polo Spill, 1938

Paul Cadmus

Polo Spill, 1938

Sale Date: October 31, 2012

Auction Closed

Nudo 1 (from The Series of 3), 1984

Paul Cadmus

Nudo 1 (from The Series of 3), 1984

Sale Date: October 23, 2012

Auction Closed

Nude young man on steps

Paul Cadmus

Nude young man on steps

Sale Date: September 23, 2012

Auction Closed

Male Nude

Paul Cadmus

Male Nude

Sale Date: September 28, 2012

Auction Closed

Boy in Yellow Sweater

Paul Cadmus

Boy in Yellow Sweater

Sale Date: September 28, 2012

Auction Closed

Hinky Dinky Parley Voo

Paul Cadmus

Hinky Dinky Parley Voo

Sale Date: September 28, 2012

Auction Closed