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)
Youth with kite, 1941

Paul Cadmus

Youth with kite, 1941

Sale Date: November 21, 2010

Auction Closed

Polo spill (Aspects of suburban life), 1938

Paul Cadmus

Polo spill (Aspects of suburban life), 1938

Sale Date: November 1, 2010

Auction Closed

Nude #1 (+ 2 others; 3 works), 1984

Paul Cadmus

Nude #1 (+ 2 others; 3 works), 1984

Sale Date: October 29, 2010

Auction Closed

Shore leave, 1935

Paul Cadmus

Shore leave, 1935

Sale Date: October 29, 2010

Auction Closed

Fleets in, 1934

Paul Cadmus

Fleets in, 1934

Sale Date: October 29, 2010

Auction Closed

Nudo 1 (from Series of 3), 1984

Paul Cadmus

Nudo 1 (from Series of 3), 1984

Sale Date: October 26, 2010

Auction Closed

Going south, 1934

Paul Cadmus

Going south, 1934

Sale Date: October 26, 2010

Auction Closed

Peter B., 1962

Paul Cadmus

Peter B., 1962

Sale Date: September 29, 2010

Auction Closed

Reclining nude nm #45

Paul Cadmus

Reclining nude nm #45

Sale Date: September 29, 2010

Auction Closed

Rise and fall, 1989

Paul Cadmus

Rise and fall, 1989

Sale Date: September 28, 2010

Auction Closed

Regatta: A study, 1935

Paul Cadmus

Regatta: A study, 1935

Sale Date: September 28, 2010

Auction Closed

Arabesque, 1947

Paul Cadmus

Arabesque, 1947

Sale Date: September 21, 2010

Auction Closed

West Street, 1925

Paul Cadmus

West Street, 1925

Sale Date: September 16, 2010

Auction Closed

St. Paul's Church, 1925

Paul Cadmus

St. Paul's Church, 1925

Sale Date: June 22, 2010

Auction Closed

Aspects of suburban life (Golf), 1936

Paul Cadmus

Aspects of suburban life (Golf), 1936

Sale Date: June 16, 2010

Auction Closed

Jon Anderson (study for A haircut), 1986

Paul Cadmus

Jon Anderson (study for A haircut), 1986

Sale Date: June 8, 2010

Auction Closed

Self portrait (study for A haircut), 1986

Paul Cadmus

Self portrait (study for A haircut), 1986

Sale Date: June 8, 2010

Auction Closed

Dejected dancer

Paul Cadmus

Dejected dancer

Sale Date: June 8, 2010

Auction Closed

Standing nude

Paul Cadmus

Standing nude

Sale Date: June 8, 2010

Auction Closed

Two nudes in an embrasure, 1971

Paul Cadmus

Two nudes in an embrasure, 1971

Sale Date: June 8, 2010

Auction Closed

Jimmy Kingsley (study), 1934–1935

Paul Cadmus

Jimmy Kingsley (study), 1934–1935

Sale Date: June 8, 2010

Auction Closed

Reclining male nude

Paul Cadmus

Reclining male nude

Sale Date: June 8, 2010

Auction Closed

Jared French, Mallorca, 1933

Paul Cadmus

Jared French, Mallorca, 1933

Sale Date: June 8, 2010

Auction Closed

Reclining male nude, 1933

Paul Cadmus

Reclining male nude, 1933

Sale Date: June 8, 2010

Auction Closed