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)
Red, green, black, 2005

Paul McCarthy

Red, green, black, 2005

Sale Date: January 21, 2010

Auction Closed

Brancusi tree (gold), 2007

Paul McCarthy

Brancusi tree (gold), 2007

Sale Date: December 8, 2009

Auction Closed

Mother pig, shushi gallery, performance, 1983

Paul McCarthy

Mother pig, shushi gallery, performance, 1983

Sale Date: December 6, 2009

Auction Closed

Baby boy 1, 1982

Paul McCarthy

Baby boy 1, 1982

Sale Date: November 13, 2009

Auction Closed

Baby boy 2, 1982

Paul McCarthy

Baby boy 2, 1982

Sale Date: November 13, 2009

Auction Closed

Meat cake 2, odd fellows temple, Pasadena, CA, 1978

Paul McCarthy

Meat cake 2, odd fellows temple, Pasadena, CA, 1978

Sale Date: November 13, 2009

Auction Closed

Dirty nose, propo, 1995

Paul McCarthy

Dirty nose, propo, 1995

Sale Date: November 11, 2009

Auction Closed

Head drop, 2006

Paul McCarthy

Head drop, 2006

Sale Date: October 28, 2009

Auction Closed

Red, green, black, 2005

Paul McCarthy

Red, green, black, 2005

Sale Date: October 28, 2009

Auction Closed

Mother PIG, Shushi Gallery, San Diego, CA..., 1983

Paul McCarthy

Mother PIG, Shushi Gallery, San Diego, CA..., 1983

Sale Date: October 17, 2009

Auction Closed

Brancusi tree - Silver, 2007

Paul McCarthy

Brancusi tree - Silver, 2007

Sale Date: October 17, 2009

Auction Closed

Untitled - Peaches (from Propo-Series), 1991–2002

Paul McCarthy

Untitled - Peaches (from Propo-Series), 1991–2002

Sale Date: October 17, 2009

Auction Closed

Contemporary cure all, 1979

Paul McCarthy

Contemporary cure all, 1979

Sale Date: September 24, 2009

Auction Closed

Brancusi tree-Gold, 2007

Paul McCarthy

Brancusi tree-Gold, 2007

Sale Date: September 24, 2009

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1995

Paul McCarthy

Untitled, 1995

Sale Date: September 24, 2009

Auction Closed

Red, green, black, 2005

Paul McCarthy

Red, green, black, 2005

Sale Date: June 25, 2009

Auction Closed

Brancusi tree - Silver, 2007

Paul McCarthy

Brancusi tree - Silver, 2007

Sale Date: June 17, 2009

Auction Closed

Xmas pudding, 1999

Paul McCarthy

Xmas pudding, 1999

Sale Date: June 2, 2009

Auction Closed

Ohne Titel (from Editiemap 1 - 50 jaar..., 2007

Paul McCarthy

Ohne Titel (from Editiemap 1 - 50 jaar..., 2007

Sale Date: May 27, 2009

Auction Closed

Billy Club. Multiple mit Unikatcharakter, 2005

Paul McCarthy

Billy Club. Multiple mit Unikatcharakter, 2005

Sale Date: May 27, 2009

Auction Closed

Houseboat and frigate, Halloween (in 2 parts), 2003

Paul McCarthy

Houseboat and frigate, Halloween (in 2 parts), 2003

Sale Date: May 14, 2009

Auction Closed

Masks - Small (from Propo series; 7 works), 1994

Paul McCarthy

Masks - Small (from Propo series; 7 works), 1994

Sale Date: May 15, 2009

Auction Closed

Green grey Michael Jackson 1, 2003

Paul McCarthy

Green grey Michael Jackson 1, 2003

Sale Date: May 14, 2009

Auction Closed

Hollywood Halloween I, 1976

Paul McCarthy

Hollywood Halloween I, 1976

Sale Date: May 4, 2009

Auction Closed

English (US)

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