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)
Baby on a snake, 1992

Paul McCarthy

Baby on a snake, 1992

Sale Date: February 8, 2007

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1998

Paul McCarthy

Untitled, 1998

Sale Date: December 2, 2006

Auction Closed

Untitled, 2000

Paul McCarthy

Untitled, 2000

Sale Date: December 2, 2006

Auction Closed

Grand pop, 1977

Paul McCarthy

Grand pop, 1977

Sale Date: November 17, 2006

Auction Closed

Propo objects - Sisters, 1972–1994

Paul McCarthy

Propo objects - Sisters, 1972–1994

Sale Date: November 17, 2006

Auction Closed

Hot dog, 1974

Paul McCarthy

Hot dog, 1974

Sale Date: November 17, 2006

Auction Closed

Propo objects - Girl with penis and baby, 1972–1994

Paul McCarthy

Propo objects - Girl with penis and baby, 1972–1994

Sale Date: November 17, 2006

Auction Closed

Rocky (w/sketch on cover, marker), 1976–2004

Paul McCarthy

Rocky (w/sketch on cover, marker), 1976–2004

Sale Date: November 16, 2006

Auction Closed

Hammer head, 2003–2004

Paul McCarthy

Hammer head, 2003–2004

Sale Date: November 16, 2006

Auction Closed

Heidi drinks, 2000

Paul McCarthy

Heidi drinks, 2000

Sale Date: November 15, 2006

Auction Closed

Santa Octopussy, white, no balls, 4..., 2004

Paul McCarthy

Santa Octopussy, white, no balls, 4..., 2004

Sale Date: November 15, 2006

Auction Closed

Basement bunker: Looking down at the queen..., 2003

Paul McCarthy

Basement bunker: Looking down at the queen..., 2003

Sale Date: October 13, 2006

Auction Closed

Dirty nose - propo, 1995

Paul McCarthy

Dirty nose - propo, 1995

Sale Date: October 14, 2006

Auction Closed

Santa octopussy, 2004

Paul McCarthy

Santa octopussy, 2004

Sale Date: October 15, 2006

Auction Closed

The popular figure (collab. w/Mike Kelley)

Paul McCarthy

The popular figure (collab. w/Mike Kelley)

Sale Date: September 16, 2006

Auction Closed

Untitled (Nose), 1994

Paul McCarthy

Untitled (Nose), 1994

Sale Date: September 12, 2006

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1991

Paul McCarthy

Untitled, 1991

Sale Date: May 12, 2006

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1992

Paul McCarthy

Untitled, 1992

Sale Date: May 12, 2006

Auction Closed

Santa (With butt plug), 2002

Paul McCarthy

Santa (With butt plug), 2002

Sale Date: May 11, 2006

Auction Closed

Propo objects: Ken-pink head (+ Propo..., 1995

Paul McCarthy

Propo objects: Ken-pink head (+ Propo..., 1995

Sale Date: May 10, 2006

Auction Closed

Chocolate silicone blockhead, 1999–2000

Paul McCarthy

Chocolate silicone blockhead, 1999–2000

Sale Date: May 9, 2006

Auction Closed

Fresh Acconci (15 works + video tape), 1995

Paul McCarthy and Mike Kelley

Fresh Acconci (15 works + video tape), 1995

Sale Date: May 11, 2006

Auction Closed

Red, green, black, 2005

Paul McCarthy

Red, green, black, 2005

Sale Date: April 8, 2006

Auction Closed

Performance Sailor's Meat film still, 1999

Paul McCarthy

Performance Sailor's Meat film still, 1999

Sale Date: April 8, 2006

Auction Closed

English (US)

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