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)
Jon Reading

Paul Cadmus

Jon Reading

Sale Date: September 12, 2023

Auction Closed

Male nude figure standing, 1940

PaJaMa

Male nude figure standing, 1940

Sale Date: August 17, 2023

Auction Closed

José Martinez on a striped blanket, 1940

PaJaMa

José Martinez on a striped blanket, 1940

Sale Date: August 17, 2023

Auction Closed

Donald Windham, 1940

PaJaMa

Donald Windham, 1940

Sale Date: August 17, 2023

Auction Closed

Jerry [Jared French], Provincetown, 1940

PaJaMa

Jerry [Jared French], Provincetown, 1940

Sale Date: August 17, 2023

Auction Closed

Waiting for Rehearsal, 1984

Paul Cadmus

Waiting for Rehearsal, 1984

Sale Date: August 17, 2023

Auction Closed

Nude on his back, Putting on Sneakers, 1998

Paul Cadmus

Nude on his back, Putting on Sneakers, 1998

Sale Date: August 17, 2023

Auction Closed

Seated Nude with a Pole (Study for David and , 1965

Paul Cadmus

Seated Nude with a Pole (Study for David and , 1965

Sale Date: August 17, 2023

Auction Closed

Reclining Male Nude from behind, 1970

Paul Cadmus

Reclining Male Nude from behind, 1970

Sale Date: August 17, 2023

Auction Closed

Dancers Conversing #2, 1974

Paul Cadmus

Dancers Conversing #2, 1974

Sale Date: August 17, 2023

Auction Closed

Nude Figure

Paul Cadmus

Nude Figure

Sale Date: September 13, 2023

Auction Closed

Male Nude

Paul Cadmus

Male Nude

Sale Date: September 13, 2023

Auction Closed

Stewart's, 1934

Paul Cadmus

Stewart's, 1934

Sale Date: August 18, 2023

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Silvano and Giorgio, Venice, 1949, 1949

PaJaMa

Silvano and Giorgio, Venice, 1949, 1949

Sale Date: July 13, 2023

Auction Closed

two Nude Studies

Paul Cadmus

two Nude Studies

Sale Date: June 19, 2023

Auction Closed

Back View of Nude

Paul Cadmus

Back View of Nude

Sale Date: June 19, 2023

Auction Closed

two Nude Studies

Paul Cadmus

two Nude Studies

Sale Date: June 19, 2023

Auction Closed

Two Boys on a Beach, No. 2 (D. 43, J. 86), 1939

Paul Cadmus

Two Boys on a Beach, No. 2 (D. 43, J. 86), 1939

Sale Date: June 21, 2023

Auction Closed

Seated Male Nude

Paul Cadmus

Seated Male Nude

Sale Date: June 7, 2023

Auction Closed

Waiting for Rehearsal, 1988

Paul Cadmus

Waiting for Rehearsal, 1988

Sale Date: June 8, 2023

Auction Closed

J.B.' (John B.), 1940–1949

PaJaMa

J.B.' (John B.), 1940–1949

Sale Date: June 1, 2023

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Jared French, 1940–1949

PaJaMa

Jared French, 1940–1949

Sale Date: June 1, 2023

Auction Closed

Sans titre (Portrait d'un modèle, pris..., 1940–1949

PaJaMa

Sans titre (Portrait d'un modèle, pris..., 1940–1949

Sale Date: June 1, 2023

Auction Closed

Paper Family (Promenade of the Containers)

Paul Cadmus

Paper Family (Promenade of the Containers)

Sale Date: May 17, 2023

Auction Closed