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)

White Snow, Balloon Dog, 2013

Paul McCarthy

White Snow, Balloon Dog, 2013

Sale Date: September 20, 2016

Auction Closed

Australian Fucker, 2000

Paul McCarthy

Australian Fucker, 2000

Sale Date: August 15, 2016

Auction Closed

Mechanical Pig, 2003–2005

Paul McCarthy

Mechanical Pig, 2003–2005

Sale Date: June 29, 2016

Auction Closed

Peter Paul Skin Sample with Portfolio, 2005

Paul McCarthy

Peter Paul Skin Sample with Portfolio, 2005

Sale Date: June 18, 2016

Auction Closed

Santa with Butt Plug (+ 7 others; 8 works), 2007

After Paul McCarthy

Santa with Butt Plug (+ 7 others; 8 works), 2007

Sale Date: June 5, 2016

Auction Closed

Garden (+ Male Motor; 2 works), 1989

Paul McCarthy

Garden (+ Male Motor; 2 works), 1989

Sale Date: June 5, 2016

Auction Closed

Pissing on Piano for Chas Smith, 1989

Paul McCarthy

Pissing on Piano for Chas Smith, 1989

Sale Date: June 5, 2016

Auction Closed

Tripod, 2007

Paul McCarthy

Sale Date: May 8, 2016

Auction Closed

Pink Clown (from PROPO series), 1991–2008

Paul McCarthy

Pink Clown (from PROPO series), 1991–2008

Sale Date: May 10, 2016

Auction Closed

Fancy Tomato Ketchup (from PROPO series), 1991–2009

Paul McCarthy

Fancy Tomato Ketchup (from PROPO series), 1991–2009

Sale Date: May 10, 2016

Auction Closed

Jack P, 2002

Paul McCarthy

Sale Date: May 10, 2016

Auction Closed

Heinz Tomato Ketchup from the Propo series, 2002

Paul McCarthy

Heinz Tomato Ketchup from the Propo series, 2002

Sale Date: March 17, 2016

Auction Closed

Mannequin Head, 1995

Paul McCarthy

Mannequin Head, 1995

Sale Date: February 10, 2016

Auction Closed

Popeye, 1996

Paul McCarthy

Sale Date: February 10, 2016

Auction Closed

Mickey Mouse, 2010

Paul McCarthy

Mickey Mouse, 2010

Sale Date: December 3, 2015

Auction Closed

Lotto unico composto da 2 opere:, 1992–1993

Paul McCarthy

Lotto unico composto da 2 opere:, 1992–1993

Sale Date: November 29, 2015

Auction Closed

SKINNY BEAR, 1992

Paul McCarthy

SKINNY BEAR, 1992

Sale Date: November 12, 2015

Auction Closed

Brancusi Tree, 2007

Paul McCarthy

Brancusi Tree, 2007

Sale Date: October 26, 2015

Auction Closed

Tree Plug (Inflatable), 2014

Paul McCarthy

Tree Plug (Inflatable), 2014

Sale Date: October 17, 2015

Auction Closed

LENNON, 2001

Paul McCarthy

Sale Date: October 10, 2015

Auction Closed

Bow Bridges I & II (from Sailor's Meat) , 1975–1992

Paul McCarthy

Bow Bridges I & II (from Sailor's Meat) , 1975–1992

Sale Date: October 15, 2015

Auction Closed

PINOCCHIO - PIPENOSE HOUSEHOLDDILEMMA..., 1994

Paul McCarthy

PINOCCHIO - PIPENOSE HOUSEHOLDDILEMMA..., 1994

Sale Date: October 16, 2015

Auction Closed

WERKZEICHNUNG (ABBRUCHZEICHEN) 1969/71, 1999

Paul McCarthy

WERKZEICHNUNG (ABBRUCHZEICHEN) 1969/71, 1999

Sale Date: September 26, 2015

Auction Closed

Soup Bowl, 1990

Paul McCarthy

Soup Bowl, 1990

Sale Date: September 17, 2015

Auction Closed

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English (US)

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