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)
Lloyd and Barbara Wescott, 1942

Paul Cadmus

Lloyd and Barbara Wescott, 1942

Sale Date: November 29, 2006

Auction Closed

Portrait of Jon Andersson, 1984

Paul Cadmus

Portrait of Jon Andersson, 1984

Sale Date: November 8, 2006

Auction Closed

Nudo 1-3 (set of 3), 1984

Paul Cadmus

Nudo 1-3 (set of 3), 1984

Sale Date: October 31, 2006

Auction Closed

Ballet dancer, 1953

Paul Cadmus

Ballet dancer, 1953

Sale Date: October 31, 2006

Auction Closed

Youth with kite, 1941

Paul Cadmus

Youth with kite, 1941

Sale Date: October 31, 2006

Auction Closed

Polo spill, 1938

Paul Cadmus

Polo spill, 1938

Sale Date: October 31, 2006

Auction Closed

Horseplay, 1935

Paul Cadmus

Horseplay, 1935

Sale Date: October 31, 2006

Auction Closed

Coney Island, 1935

Paul Cadmus

Coney Island, 1935

Sale Date: October 31, 2006

Auction Closed

Stewarts, 1934

Paul Cadmus

Stewarts, 1934

Sale Date: October 31, 2006

Auction Closed

Going south, 1934

Paul Cadmus

Going south, 1934

Sale Date: October 31, 2006

Auction Closed

Horse-play, 1935

Paul Cadmus

Horse-play, 1935

Sale Date: November 2, 2006

Auction Closed

Two boys on a beach, no. 1, 1938

Paul Cadmus

Two boys on a beach, no. 1, 1938

Sale Date: November 2, 2006

Auction Closed

YMCA locker room, 1934

Paul Cadmus

YMCA locker room, 1934

Sale Date: November 2, 2006

Auction Closed

Two boys on a beach, number 2, 1939

Paul Cadmus

Two boys on a beach, number 2, 1939

Sale Date: September 15, 2006

Auction Closed

Two boys on a beach, number 1, 1938

Paul Cadmus

Two boys on a beach, number 1, 1938

Sale Date: September 15, 2006

Auction Closed

Mother and child

Paul Cadmus

Mother and child

Sale Date: August 5, 2006

Auction Closed

Arabesque, 1947

Paul Cadmus

Arabesque, 1947

Sale Date: September 14, 2006

Auction Closed

Two boys on a beach, no.1, 1938

Paul Cadmus

Two boys on a beach, no.1, 1938

Sale Date: September 14, 2006

Auction Closed

Aspects of surburban life: Golf (study), 1936

Paul Cadmus

Aspects of surburban life: Golf (study), 1936

Sale Date: September 14, 2006

Auction Closed

Male nude #NM91

Paul Cadmus

Male nude #NM91

Sale Date: September 13, 2006

Auction Closed

Jon, Cherry Grove, 1996

Paul Cadmus

Jon, Cherry Grove, 1996

Sale Date: August 4, 2006

Auction Closed

Business letter (dbl-sided), 1995

Paul Cadmus

Business letter (dbl-sided), 1995

Sale Date: June 8, 2006

Auction Closed

Jon sleeping, 1974

Paul Cadmus

Jon sleeping, 1974

Sale Date: June 8, 2006

Auction Closed

Seated nude, 1991

Paul Cadmus

Seated nude, 1991

Sale Date: June 8, 2006

Auction Closed