Paul McCarthy

(American, born 1945)

Paul McCarthy is an American contemporary artist working across media in performance, sculpture, and film. Inspired by American popular culture, lewd sexual innuendo, and the work of Joseph Beuys, McCarthy constructs complicated critiques of consumerism and art. “I had this thing about exposing the interior of the body,” the artist has said, “the orifices leading into the body, and what the interior was, and the taboos of the interior.” His work aims to make his audience feel uncomfortable and often succeeds in stirring controversy, notably in 2014 when his sculpture Tree—a green inflatable that resembled a butt plug—was defaced and then removed within two days of its installation in Paris’ Place Vendôme. Among his recurring themes is the satirizing of the iconic male painter, as seen in his seminal video Painter (1995), which depicts a buffoonish, arrogant artist in the vein of Abstract Expressionism. Born on August 4, 1945 in Salt Lake City, UT, he went on to receive his MFA from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. His work is in the collections of the Guggenheim Museum in New York, the Tate Gallery in London, and the Smithsonian Museum of American Art in Washington, D.C., among others. McCarthy lives and works in Los Angeles, CA. 

Paul McCarthy News

Art Fairs

High-Octane Sales During the VIP Preview of Art Basel's Second Online Fair Solidify the 'New Normal' of the Socially Distanced Art Market

by Tim Schneider
High-Octane Sales During the VIP Preview of Art Basel's Second Online Fair Solidify the 'New Normal' of the Socially Distanced Art Market
Art Fairs

How Is Art Basel’s Experiment With Online Sales Going? Early Indications Suggest Mega-Galleries Are Making Out Just Fine

by Eileen Kinsella
How Is Art Basel’s Experiment With Online Sales Going? Early Indications Suggest Mega-Galleries Are Making Out Just Fine
On View

Danish Collector Jens Faurschou Is Opening a Private Museum in Brooklyn—and He Doesn't Care If You Have Fun There

by Eileen Kinsella
Danish Collector Jens Faurschou Is Opening a Private Museum in Brooklyn—and He Doesn't Care If You Have Fun There

Paul McCarthy Artworks

Artworks for Sale &
Auction Results

Paul McCarthy (508 results)
Brancusi Tree, 2007

Paul McCarthy

Brancusi Tree, 2007

Sale Date: May 28, 2014

Auction Closed

Sweet Body Roll Smear Piccadilly Circus,..., 2003

Paul McCarthy

Sweet Body Roll Smear Piccadilly Circus,..., 2003

Sale Date: May 17, 2014

Auction Closed

Propo (Mannequin cubist), 1994

Paul McCarthy

Propo (Mannequin cubist), 1994

Sale Date: May 15, 2014

Auction Closed

Gold Butter Dog 1, Guggenheim Crown, Silicon, 2003

Paul McCarthy

Gold Butter Dog 1, Guggenheim Crown, Silicon, 2003

Sale Date: May 14, 2014

Auction Closed

Brancusi Tree or Butt Plug (silver), 2007

Paul McCarthy

Brancusi Tree or Butt Plug (silver), 2007

Sale Date: April 29, 2014

Auction Closed

Brancusi Tree, 2007

Paul McCarthy

Brancusi Tree, 2007

Sale Date: April 28, 2014

Auction Closed

Pudding, 1999

Paul McCarthy

Pudding, 1999

Sale Date: April 27, 2014

Auction Closed

Brancusi Tree (Silver), 2007

Paul McCarthy

Brancusi Tree (Silver), 2007

Sale Date: April 8, 2014

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1998

Paul McCarthy

Untitled, 1998

Sale Date: March 27, 2014

Auction Closed

Secession. Sod & Sodie Sock (bk. w/1 work), 1998

Paul McCarthy

Secession. Sod & Sodie Sock (bk. w/1 work), 1998

Sale Date: March 27, 2014

Auction Closed

Santa Sac, Black, Double Head, 2 Butt Plugs, , 2006

Paul McCarthy

Santa Sac, Black, Double Head, 2 Butt Plugs, , 2006

Sale Date: March 7, 2014

Auction Closed

Santa with tree and bell, 2007

Paul McCarthy

Santa with tree and bell, 2007

Sale Date: December 15, 2013

Auction Closed

Dog, 2000

Paul McCarthy

Dog, 2000

Sale Date: December 5, 2013

Auction Closed

Untitled (Tokyo Santa #14), 1999

Paul McCarthy

Untitled (Tokyo Santa #14), 1999

Sale Date: November 19, 2013

Auction Closed

Untitled (double-sided), 1984

Paul McCarthy

Untitled (double-sided), 1984

Sale Date: November 16, 2013

Auction Closed

Masks, Front and Side View (Pig), 1998

Paul McCarthy

Masks, Front and Side View (Pig), 1998

Sale Date: November 12, 2013

Auction Closed

The Bavarian deer, 1987–1989

Paul McCarthy

The Bavarian deer, 1987–1989

Sale Date: November 14, 2013

Auction Closed

Santa Octopussy, Green, Balls, 6 Tentacles,..., 2004

Paul McCarthy

Santa Octopussy, Green, Balls, 6 Tentacles,..., 2004

Sale Date: November 13, 2013

Auction Closed

Fear of mannequins wing heads Hollywood..., 1971

Paul McCarthy

Fear of mannequins wing heads Hollywood..., 1971

Sale Date: October 24, 2013

Auction Closed

Brancusi Tree (Gold), 2007

Paul McCarthy

Brancusi Tree (Gold), 2007

Sale Date: October 28, 2013

Auction Closed

Pinocchio Twingo Service Stop, 1994

Paul McCarthy

Pinocchio Twingo Service Stop, 1994

Sale Date: October 17, 2013

Auction Closed

Heidi, 1992–1993

Paul McCarthy and Mike Kelley

Heidi, 1992–1993

Sale Date: October 17, 2013

Auction Closed

Untitled (from the Propo series) (Sue Amon), 2002

Paul McCarthy

Untitled (from the Propo series) (Sue Amon), 2002

Sale Date: October 18, 2013

Auction Closed

Pudding

Paul McCarthy

Pudding

Sale Date: October 19, 2013

Auction Closed

English (US)

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