Paul
Mccarthy

Paul
Mccarthy

American, born in 1945


Paul McCarthy’s work deeply questions the values of the consumer society and more broadly the Wester world’s taboos and hierarchies. It particularly denounces the oppressive and hysterical violence in the American society.

A central figure of the Californian art scene since the 1970s, close to Mike Kelley, Paul McCarthy is influenced by Robert Rauschenberg, Bruce Nauman and by Bruce Conner’s films. He takes on icons from Disney universe and popular imagery like Snow White or Santa Claus, which embody the world he fights and parodies. His works, which include sculpture, video, performance, photography, installations, drawing and painting, are characterized by excess, paradox, grotesque and humor - often very black - and tackle the themes of sex, impulses and power.

Paul McCarthy's works were first shown by the Pinault Collection during the 2006 Post-Pop exhibition at Palazzo Grassi.
Expositions