Paul Cadmus

Paul Cadmus
Cadmus photo taken by Carl Van Vechten, 1937
Born	(1904-12-17)December 17, 1904 Manhattan, New York, U.S.
Died	December 12, 1999(1999-12-12) (aged 94) Weston, Connecticut, U.S.
Nationality	American
Education	Art Students League of New York
Known for	Painting, drawing
Notable work	The Fleet's In! (1934), Gilding the Acrobats (1935)
Movement	Magic realism
Elected	National Academy of Design

Paul Cadmus (December 17, 1904 – December 12, 1999) was an American artist. He is best known for his egg tempera paintings of gritty social interactions in urban settings. He also produced many highly finished drawings of single nude male figures. His paintings combine elements of eroticism and social critique in a style often called magic realism.

Paul Cadmus was born on December 17, 1904, on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, the son of artists, Maria Latasa and Egbert Cadmus (1868–1939). His father, who studied with Robert Henri, worked as a commercial artist, and his mother illustrated children's books. His sister, Fidelma Cadmus, married Lincoln Kirstein, a philanthropist, arts patron, and co-founder of the New York City Ballet, in 1941.

At age 15, Cadmus left school to attend the National Academy of Design for 6 years. He then enrolled at the Art Students League of New York in 1928 taking life-drawing lessons while working as a commercial illustrator at a New York advertising agency. He furthered his education while traveling through Europe from 1931 to 1933 with fellow artist Jared French, who became his lover for a time.

After traveling through France and Spain, Cadmus and French settled in a fishing village on the island Majorca. In 1933, they headed back to the United States after running out of money, where Cadmus was one of the first artists to be employed by The New Deal art programs, painting murals at post offices. He maintained a studio at 54 Morton Street.

He worked in commercial illustration as well, but French, also a tempera artist, convinced him to devote himself completely to fine art. In 1979, he was elected into the National Academy of Design as an associate member and became a full member in 1980.

Cadmus is ranked by Artists Trade Union of Russia amongst the world's best artists of the last four centuries.