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 Artworks

Paul McCarthy (508 results)

Experimental dancer - rumpus room (in 2 parts), 1975

Paul McCarthy

Experimental dancer - rumpus room (in 2 parts), 1975

Sale Date: May 11, 2011

Auction Closed

Chocolate silicone blockhead, 1999–2000

Paul McCarthy

Chocolate silicone blockhead, 1999–2000

Sale Date: May 10, 2011

Auction Closed

Dick & broom, 1997

Paul McCarthy

Dick & broom, 1997

Sale Date: May 13, 2011

Auction Closed

Piccadilly Circus: Queen on the queen's head , 2003

Paul McCarthy

Piccadilly Circus: Queen on the queen's head , 2003

Sale Date: March 9, 2011

Auction Closed

Steven, 2007

Paul McCarthy

Sale Date: March 10, 2011

Auction Closed

Sweet body roll smear Piccadilly Circus,..., 2003

Paul McCarthy

Sweet body roll smear Piccadilly Circus,..., 2003

Sale Date: November 13, 2010

Auction Closed

Wallpaper drawing #2, 1991

Paul McCarthy

Wallpaper drawing #2, 1991

Sale Date: November 23, 2010

Auction Closed

Brancusi tree (Silver), 2007

Paul McCarthy

Brancusi tree (Silver), 2007

Sale Date: November 21, 2010

Auction Closed

Spagetti man (5 lrgr; set of 10), 1993

Paul McCarthy

Spagetti man (5 lrgr; set of 10), 1993

Sale Date: November 11, 2010

Auction Closed

Piccadilly Circus (portfolio of 45), 2003

Paul McCarthy

Piccadilly Circus (portfolio of 45), 2003

Sale Date: November 9, 2010

Auction Closed

Mechanical Pig, 2005

Paul McCarthy

Mechanical Pig, 2005

Sale Date: November 8, 2010

Auction Closed

Dead dog, 2000

Paul McCarthy

Dead dog, 2000

Sale Date: October 21, 2010

Auction Closed

Dog, 2000

Paul McCarthy

Sale Date: October 20, 2010

Auction Closed

Untitled 2 (from Playboy comics), 1979

Paul McCarthy

Untitled 2 (from Playboy comics), 1979

Sale Date: October 14, 2010

Auction Closed

Zeus no.2, 1988

Paul McCarthy

Zeus no.2, 1988

Sale Date: September 22, 2010

Auction Closed

Untitled (Black doll) (from Propo series), 1972–1994

Paul McCarthy

Untitled (Black doll) (from Propo series), 1972–1994

Sale Date: July 1, 2010

Auction Closed

People 1, 2000

Paul McCarthy

People 1, 2000

Sale Date: June 30, 2010

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1992

Paul McCarthy

Untitled, 1992

Sale Date: May 14, 2010

Auction Closed

Untitled, peaches (from Propo-series), 1991–2002

Paul McCarthy

Untitled, peaches (from Propo-series), 1991–2002

Sale Date: May 13, 2010

Auction Closed

Piccadilly circus: tea party pink queen..., 2003

Paul McCarthy

Piccadilly circus: tea party pink queen..., 2003

Sale Date: May 13, 2010

Auction Closed

Bavarian deer, 1987–1989

Paul McCarthy

Bavarian deer, 1987–1989

Sale Date: May 13, 2010

Auction Closed

Xmas Pudding (Puding de Navidad), 1999

Paul McCarthy

Xmas Pudding (Puding de Navidad), 1999

Sale Date: February 24, 2010

Auction Closed

Brancusi tree (Silver), 2007

Paul McCarthy

Brancusi tree (Silver), 2007

Sale Date: February 24, 2010

Auction Closed

Alpine man, 1992

Paul McCarthy

Alpine man, 1992

Sale Date: February 11, 2010

Auction Closed

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