Paul Cadmus
1904–1999
11 works
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On view
Floor 7Finistere
1952 -
On view
Floor 7The Bath
1951 -
On view
Floor 7Fantasia on a Theme by Dr. S.
1946 -
On view
Floor 7Sailors and Floosies
1938 -
On view
Floor 7Two Boys on a Beach
1938 -
On view
Floor 7José Martinez
1937 -
To the Lynching!
1935 -
Shore Leave
1935 -
The Fleet's In!
1934 -
Stewart's
1934 -
Shore Leave
1933
Audio
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Paul Cadmus, Sailors and Floosies, 1938
Stop 704 from America Is Hard to See
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Paul Cadmus, Sailors and Floosies, 1938
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Paul Cadmus: Some of these sailors are rather sympathetic, as well as one of the girls, the one in the ridiculous hat. I don’t know where I invented that hat.
Narrator: Artist Paul Cadmus. He called this painting Sailors and Floosies. It’s set in Manhattan’s Riverside Park, near a monument called the Sailors and Soldiers Memorial. Art historian Richard Meyer.
Richard Meyer: One of the things that Cadmus did, which is quite amazing about this painting, is that he created a unique frame. . .And what he did in the painted frame is, he continued some of the graffiti that is depicted on. . .the [Sailors and Soldiers] Memorial, within the painting, that graffiti continues around the frame of the painting. So he’s sort of bringing a decorative element, but also, some part of the story, of the fiction of the painting, out onto the frame of the painting.
Narrator: Notice that the sailors here aren’t really paying attention to the floosies.
Richard Meyer: Cadmus, whenever there is heterosexual pairing in his paintings, something goes wrong. . .What he seems more interested in is a certain homoeroticism. . .
Narrator: Some critics were upset by this image when it was first shown. They called it tawdry— repulsive—unpatriotic. Ironically, it wasn’t the homoerotic content per se that caused the controversy. Rather, critics were offended by the depiction of Navy sailors drunk and carousing on the eve of World War II.
Paul Cadmus: I replied to them, "I think the picture portrays an enjoyable side of Navy life. I think it would make a good recruiting poster. I will raise my prices."
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Paul Cadmus, Finistère, 1952
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Paul Cadmus, Finistère, 1952
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Narrator: Finistère—the French region that lends this Paul Cadmus painting its name—is in the far west of Brittany, where the English Channel and the Atlantic meet.
The painting’s two main figures are young men on bicycles. Each wears nothing but a shirt and revealing swim briefs. They have the bodies of Classical or Renaissance nudes: idealized and strong. Cadmus was deeply influenced by Italian Renaissance painting. Here, he’s even executed the work in egg tempera, a painstaking medium that most artists had given up by the later sixteenth century.
The picture’s mood is a little odd. The sea wall is labyrinthine, and blocks most of the ocean view. Hardly anyone is looking at each other, and it’s not entirely clear what’s going on. Most of the figures seem intent on their private thoughts or business. There’s a strange huddle of people to the right, including a woman in traditional Breton costume. She adds to the painting’s slightly surreal quality—but perhaps also hints at the presence of conservative society.
The two central men aren’t making eye contact either, but they do seem to be communicating. In this way, the painting is slyly humorous about how homoerotic desire can hide in plain sight—even at a time when that desire was essentially forbidden.
Exhibitions
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The Whitney’s Collection: Selections from 1900 to 1965
On view
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Where We Are: Selections from the Whitney’s Collection, 1900–1960
Apr 28, 2017–June 2, 2019
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Human Interest: Portraits from the Whitney’s Collection
Apr 2, 2016–Apr 2, 2017
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The Whitney's Collection
Sept 28, 2015–Apr 4, 2016
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America Is Hard to See
May 1–Sept 27, 2015
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American Legends: From Calder to O’Keeffe
Dec 22, 2012–June 29, 2014
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Real/Surreal
Oct 6, 2011–Feb 12, 2012
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Modern Life: Edward Hopper and His Time
Oct 28, 2010–Apr 10, 2011
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Modernisms
Aug 29, 2007–Jan 13, 2008
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Lincoln Kirstein: To See Deeply
Apr 25–Aug 26, 2007
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Benton and America in the 1930s: Works on Paper
May 19–Sept 4, 2004
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Highlights from the Permanent Collection: From Hopper to Mid-Century
Feb 25, 2000–May 20, 2006
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1965 Annual Exhibition of Contemporary American Painting
Dec 8, 1965–Jan 30, 1966
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Annual Exhibition 1963: Contemporary American Painting
Dec 11, 1963–Feb 2, 1964
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Annual Exhibition 1962: Contemporary Sculpture and Drawings
Dec 12, 1962–Feb 3, 1963
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Annual Exhibition 1961: Contemporary American Painting
Dec 13, 1961–Feb 4, 1962
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Annual Exhibition 1960: Contemporary Sculpture and Drawings
Dec 7, 1960–Jan 22, 1961
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1959 Annual Exhibition of Contemporary American Painting
Dec 9, 1959–Jan 31, 1960
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1958 Annual Exhibition: Sculpture, Paintings, Watercolors, Drawings
Nov 19, 1958–Jan 4, 1959
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1956 Annual Exhibition: Sculpture, Paintings, Watercolors, Drawings
Nov 14, 1956–Jan 6, 1957
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1956 Annual Exhibition of Contemporary American Sculpture, Watercolors and Drawings
Apr 18–June 10, 1956
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1955 Annual Exhibition of Contemporary American Paintings, Sculpture, Watercolors and Drawings
Jan 12–Feb 20, 1955
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1954 Annual Exhibition of Contemporary American Sculpture, Watercolors and Drawings
Mar 17–Apr 18, 1954
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1953 Annual Exhibition of Contemporary American Painting
Oct 15–Dec 6, 1953
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1953 Annual Exhibition of Contemporary American Sculpture, Watercolors and Drawings
Apr 9–May 29, 1953
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1950 Annual Exhibition of Contemporary American Painting
Nov 10–Dec 31, 1950
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1950 Annual Exhibition of Contemporary American Sculpture, Watercolors and Drawings
Apr 1–May 28, 1950
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1949 Annual Exhibition of Contemporary American Sculpture, Watercolors and Drawings
Apr 2–May 8, 1949
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1948 Annual Exhibition of Contemporary American Painting
Nov 13, 1948–Jan 2, 1949
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1948 Annual Exhibition of Contemporary American Sculpture, Watercolors and Drawings
Jan 31–Mar 21, 1948
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1947 Annual Exhibition of Contemporary American Sculpture, Watercolors and Drawings
Mar 11–Apr 17, 1947
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1946 Annual Exhibition of Contemporary American Painting
Dec 10, 1946–Jan 16, 1947
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1946 Annual Exhibition of Contemporary American Sculpture, Watercolors and Drawings
Feb 5–Mar 13, 1946
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1945 Annual Exhibition of Contemporary American Painting
Nov 27, 1945–Jan 10, 1946
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1945 Annual Exhibition of Contemporary American Sculpture, Watercolors and Drawings
Jan 3–Feb 8, 1945
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1944 Annual Exhibition of Contemporary American Painting
Nov 14–Dec 12, 1944
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1943 Annual Exhibition of Contemporary American Art
Nov 23, 1943–Jan 4, 1944
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1942 Annual Exhibition of Contemporary American Art
Nov 24, 1942–Jan 6, 1943
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1941 Annual Exhibition of Paintings by Artists Under Forty
Nov 12–Dec 30, 1941
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1941 Annual Exhibition of Contemporary American Sculpture, Watercolors, Drawings and Prints
Jan 15–Feb 19, 1941
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1940 Annual Exhibition of Contemporary American Painting
Nov 27, 1940–Jan 8, 1941
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1940 Annual Exhibition of Contemporary American Art
Jan 10–Feb 18, 1940
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1939 Annual Exhibition of Contemporary American Sculpture, Drawings and Prints
Jan 24–Feb 17, 1939
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1938 Annual Exhibition of Contemporary American Painting
Nov 2–Dec 11, 1938
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1938 Annual Exhibition of Contemporary American Sculpture, Watercolors, Drawings and Prints
Mar 8–Apr 10, 1938
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1937 Annual Exhibition of Contemporary American Painting
Nov 10–Dec 12, 1937
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Third Biennial Exhibition of Contemporary American Painting
Nov 10–Dec 10, 1936
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Second Biennial Exhibition: Part One—Sculpture, Drawings and Prints
Jan 24–Feb 13, 1936
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Second Biennial Exhibition of Contemporary American Painting
Nov 27, 1934–Jan 10, 1935