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)
Coney Island, 1935

Paul Cadmus

Coney Island, 1935

Sale Date: April 25, 1997

Auction Closed

YMCA locker

Paul Cadmus

YMCA locker

Sale Date: April 25, 1997

Auction Closed

Mobile, 1953

Paul Cadmus

Mobile, 1953

Sale Date: April 25, 1997

Auction Closed

Two boys on a beach #2

Paul Cadmus

Two boys on a beach #2

Sale Date: April 25, 1997

Auction Closed

Arabesque, 1947

Paul Cadmus

Arabesque, 1947

Sale Date: April 23, 1997

Auction Closed

Avarice: A study for one of the seven deadly sins

Paul Cadmus

Avarice: A study for one of the seven deadly sins

Sale Date: March 25, 1997

Auction Closed

Mobile, 1953

Paul Cadmus

Mobile, 1953

Sale Date: December 12, 1996

Auction Closed

Dancer resting at bar

Paul Cadmus

Dancer resting at bar

Sale Date: December 4, 1996

Auction Closed

Reclining nude

Paul Cadmus

Reclining nude

Sale Date: December 4, 1996

Auction Closed

Portrait of a dancer, 1981

Paul Cadmus

Portrait of a dancer, 1981

Sale Date: December 4, 1996

Auction Closed

Reclining male figure

Paul Cadmus

Reclining male figure

Sale Date: November 23, 1996

Auction Closed

Horseplay, 1935

Paul Cadmus

Horseplay, 1935

Sale Date: November 14, 1996

Auction Closed

First and second arabesque, 1946–1947

Paul Cadmus

First and second arabesque, 1946–1947

Sale Date: November 13, 1996

Auction Closed

YMCA locker room

Paul Cadmus

YMCA locker room

Sale Date: November 7, 1996

Auction Closed

Shore leave, 1935

Paul Cadmus

Shore leave, 1935

Sale Date: November 7, 1996

Auction Closed

Male nude

Paul Cadmus

Male nude

Sale Date: October 30, 1996

Auction Closed

Seated dancer

Paul Cadmus

Seated dancer

Sale Date: September 27, 1996

Auction Closed

Male nude

Paul Cadmus

Male nude

Sale Date: September 27, 1996

Auction Closed

Teddo, 1985

Paul Cadmus

Teddo, 1985

Sale Date: September 27, 1996

Auction Closed

Two boys on a beach number two, 1939

Paul Cadmus

Two boys on a beach number two, 1939

Sale Date: September 27, 1996

Auction Closed

Camp cheerful, 1939

Paul Cadmus

Camp cheerful, 1939

Sale Date: September 26, 1996

Auction Closed

Fantasia on a theme by Dr. S

Paul Cadmus

Fantasia on a theme by Dr. S

Sale Date: May 31, 1996

Auction Closed

Going south, 1934

Paul Cadmus

Going south, 1934

Sale Date: May 23, 1996

Auction Closed

Female nude RS2

Paul Cadmus

Female nude RS2

Sale Date: May 21, 1996

Auction Closed