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)

Billy Club (for Parkett no. 73), 2005

Paul McCarthy

Billy Club (for Parkett no. 73), 2005

Sale Date: June 22, 2017

Auction Closed

Flight Case (11 works)

Paul McCarthy

Flight Case (11 works)

Sale Date: June 11, 2017

Auction Closed

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

Paul McCarthy

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

Sale Date: June 8, 2017

Auction Closed

Trans Gum, 2001, 2001

Paul McCarthy

Trans Gum, 2001, 2001

Sale Date: May 9, 2017

Auction Closed

HAMMER HEAD, 2004

Paul McCarthy

HAMMER HEAD, 2004

Sale Date: May 31, 2017

Auction Closed

The Bavarian Deer, 1987–1989

Paul McCarthy

The Bavarian Deer, 1987–1989

Sale Date: May 18, 2017

Auction Closed

PROPO (BENT DOLL), 2002

Paul McCarthy

PROPO (BENT DOLL), 2002

Sale Date: May 10, 2017

Auction Closed

MANNEQUIN MOUTH HOLE, 1991

Paul McCarthy

MANNEQUIN MOUTH HOLE, 1991

Sale Date: March 9, 2017

Auction Closed

CAPTAIN DICK HAT, 2003

Paul McCarthy

CAPTAIN DICK HAT, 2003

Sale Date: March 2, 2017

Auction Closed

Sweet Roll Body Smear Piccadilly Circus, 2003

Paul McCarthy

Sweet Roll Body Smear Piccadilly Circus, 2003

Sale Date: December 16, 2016

Auction Closed

Kitchen Set, 2003

Paul McCarthy

Kitchen Set, 2003

Sale Date: December 8, 2016

Auction Closed

Dead Penis / Yellow Swing / Coma, 1997

Paul McCarthy

Dead Penis / Yellow Swing / Coma, 1997

Sale Date: December 2, 2016

Auction Closed

Collapse Face, 1997

Paul McCarthy

Collapse Face, 1997

Sale Date: December 2, 2016

Auction Closed

Santa Claus, 1997

Paul McCarthy

Santa Claus, 1997

Sale Date: December 2, 2016

Auction Closed

Garden (10 works), 1989

Paul McCarthy

Garden (10 works), 1989

Sale Date: November 20, 2016

Auction Closed

Pissing on Piano for Chas Smith, 1989

Paul McCarthy

Pissing on Piano for Chas Smith, 1989

Sale Date: November 20, 2016

Auction Closed

MASKS (SMALL) FROM THE PROPO SERIES..., 1994

Paul McCarthy

MASKS (SMALL) FROM THE PROPO SERIES..., 1994

Sale Date: November 18, 2016

Auction Closed

CHOCOLATE SILICONE BLOCKHEAD, 1999–2000

Paul McCarthy

CHOCOLATE SILICONE BLOCKHEAD, 1999–2000

Sale Date: November 18, 2016

Auction Closed

Orange Lion, de la série 'Propo, 1972–1994

Paul McCarthy

Orange Lion, de la série 'Propo, 1972–1994

Sale Date: November 12, 2016

Auction Closed

Peter Paul Skin Sample, 2005

Paul McCarthy

Peter Paul Skin Sample, 2005

Sale Date: October 26, 2016

Auction Closed

Cooking show, 2001

Paul McCarthy

Cooking show, 2001

Sale Date: October 22, 2016

Auction Closed

Jack, 2001

Paul McCarthy

Sale Date: October 22, 2016

Auction Closed

Hammer Head, 2003–2004

Paul McCarthy

Hammer Head, 2003–2004

Sale Date: October 22, 2016

Auction Closed

Dick Eye, 2002

Paul McCarthy

Dick Eye, 2002

Sale Date: September 28, 2016

Auction Closed

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