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 (Gold), 2007

Paul McCarthy

Brancusi tree (Gold), 2007

Sale Date: March 9, 2009

Auction Closed

Untitled (from Propo series-bullet), 1972

Paul McCarthy

Untitled (from Propo series-bullet), 1972

Sale Date: March 17, 2009

Auction Closed

Brancusi Tree - Silver, 2007

Paul McCarthy

Brancusi Tree - Silver, 2007

Sale Date: December 2, 2008

Auction Closed

Untitled (+ The garden, Bavarian kick,..., 1987–1992

Paul McCarthy

Untitled (+ The garden, Bavarian kick,..., 1987–1992

Sale Date: November 14, 2008

Auction Closed

Michael Jackson fucked up, big head, 2002

Paul McCarthy

Michael Jackson fucked up, big head, 2002

Sale Date: November 12, 2008

Auction Closed

Kitchen set (various sizes), 2003

Paul McCarthy

Kitchen set (various sizes), 2003

Sale Date: November 12, 2008

Auction Closed

Bavarian deer, 1987–1989

Paul McCarthy

Bavarian deer, 1987–1989

Sale Date: October 18, 2008

Auction Closed

Mother pig, 1995

Paul McCarthy

Mother pig, 1995

Sale Date: October 18, 2008

Auction Closed

Pudding, 1999

Paul McCarthy

Pudding, 1999

Sale Date: September 27, 2008

Auction Closed

Red, green, black, 2005

Paul McCarthy

Red, green, black, 2005

Sale Date: September 18, 2008

Auction Closed

Heidi drinks, 2000

Paul McCarthy

Heidi drinks, 2000

Sale Date: September 10, 2008

Auction Closed

Kitchen set, 2003

Paul McCarthy

Kitchen set, 2003

Sale Date: June 29, 2008

Auction Closed

Bunk house, 1996

Paul McCarthy

Bunk house, 1996

Sale Date: June 29, 2008

Auction Closed

Green dog (from the Propo series), 1990

Paul McCarthy

Green dog (from the Propo series), 1990

Sale Date: June 29, 2008

Auction Closed

Piccadilly Circus, tea party pink queen..., 2003

Paul McCarthy

Piccadilly Circus, tea party pink queen..., 2003

Sale Date: June 29, 2008

Auction Closed

Pudding, 1999

Paul McCarthy

Pudding, 1999

Sale Date: May 31, 2008

Auction Closed

Ohne Titel, 1994

Paul McCarthy

Ohne Titel, 1994

Sale Date: May 31, 2008

Auction Closed

Pot head, 2002

Paul McCarthy

Pot head, 2002

Sale Date: May 15, 2008

Auction Closed

Propo object: Daddies, 1972-1994, 1995

Paul McCarthy

Propo object: Daddies, 1972-1994, 1995

Sale Date: May 15, 2008

Auction Closed

Basement bunker, George W. with face camera, , 2003

Paul McCarthy

Basement bunker, George W. with face camera, , 2003

Sale Date: May 14, 2008

Auction Closed

Pudding, 1999

Paul McCarthy

Pudding, 1999

Sale Date: April 26, 2008

Auction Closed

Transgum, 2000

Paul McCarthy

Transgum, 2000

Sale Date: March 30, 2008

Auction Closed

Red, green, black, 2005

Paul McCarthy

Red, green, black, 2005

Sale Date: March 19, 2008

Auction Closed

Basement bunker: Painting queens in the red..., 2003

Paul McCarthy

Basement bunker: Painting queens in the red..., 2003

Sale Date: February 28, 2008

Auction Closed

English (US)

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