Paul Cadmus Auction Prices and Value Guide

Paul Cadmus auction prices are tracked in Appraisily's artist market index, with source-directory coverage of 1,236 records. Use this page to review sold-lot activity, market context, and valuation factors before requesting a formal appraisal.

Paul Cadmus auction prices: quick answer

Paul Cadmus auction prices depend on medium, size, date, condition, provenance, edition details, attribution confidence, and recent comparable auction sales.

Artist
Paul Cadmus
Source records
1,236
Market update
2026-02-06

Paul Cadmus market snapshot

Paul Cadmus shows deep auction liquidity with 499 tracked lots. Median realized sale is around $2,800. Category concentration is still broad or sparse. Last 12 months recorded 38 sales. Latest recorded sale: 2025-12-12.

Realized price distribution

  • Under $1,000 (16.5% · 73 sales)
  • $1,000 to $10,000 (69.0% · 305 sales)
  • $10,000+ (14.5% · 64 sales)
Median sale (last 12 months)
$2,000
Sales recorded (last 12 months)
38
Median shift vs prior year
0.0%
Latest recorded sale
2025-12-12

Artist context

About Paul Cadmus

Paul Cadmus portrait
User:Jonnmann · Public domain · Source

Born

1904

Died

1999

Nationality

American

Paul Cadmus (1904–1999) was an American painter and draftsman whose highly finished works often combine social observation with erotic and figurative themes. He is widely associated with egg-tempera painting, detailed drawing, and a form of magic realism characterized by sharply observed people and environments. Urban social interactions, male nude figures, and visual satire are recurring contexts in descriptions of his work. Collectors may encounter Cadmus through paintings, drawings, prints, and works on paper represented in museum, library, and auction records. His institutional profile is supported by resources from the Museum of Modern Art, the National Gallery of Art, Getty Research, and international library authorities. For appraisal purposes, the specific medium, date, provenance, condition, exhibition history, and attribution of each work remain essential.

Magic realismAmerican modernismEgg temperaDrawingPrintsGritty social interactions in urban settingsMale nude figuresEroticism and social critique

Common works and media

Auction and appraisal records may include Paul Cadmus paintings in egg tempera, highly finished drawings, prints, and other works on paper. Figurative subjects—especially urban social scenes and male nude studies—are important contexts for identifying his work. Records may also classify objects under broad categories such as mixed media, sculpture, decorative art, or editions, so the catalogued medium and object type should be checked against the actual work, dimensions, signature, edition details, and provenance.

Market and appraisal context

Paul Cadmus works appear across public auction categories including paintings, works on paper, prints, mixed media, and editions. Appraisal should begin with close comparables rather than a single artist-wide figure. Medium, scale, date, career period, subject, condition, restoration, signature, inscriptions, edition information, provenance, exhibition history, and catalogue references can all affect interpretation. Recent public auction results may provide useful benchmarks when the comparable work is genuinely similar, but they do not establish a guaranteed value. Appraisily's public artist record includes matched auction data, while private transactions, incomplete feeds, changing attributions, and authentication issues may not be fully represented.

Auction categories and appraisal factors

Common auction categories

  • Fine art and paintings
  • Works on paper and prints
  • Sculpture and mixed media
  • Decorative art and editions

Value drivers

  1. Medium, size, date, and period within the artist's career
  2. Condition, restoration history, and surface quality
  3. Signature, inscriptions, edition details, and attribution confidence
  4. Provenance, exhibition history, and catalogue references
  5. Recent comparable public auction sales for similar works
  6. Subject matter, rarity, and current market demand

Appraisal caveats

  • Public auction records are a starting point rather than a final appraisal.
  • Private sales, incomplete feeds, and attribution changes may not be fully represented.
  • Authentication and condition can materially change the value of an individual work.
  • Appraisily reports a broad observed price range and category mix; comparable works should be matched closely by medium, date, size, condition, and attribution.

Evidence

Sources for artist context

This source-grounded artist context passed Appraisily's promotion threshold: high confidence, strong sources.

Source-grounded artist Markdown

Data basis

This page is built from Appraisily's public auction market index. Private transactions, incomplete sale feeds, and attribution changes may not be fully represented.

LLM-readable Markdown summary for Paul Cadmus

LLM summary index · LLM full index

Artist value FAQ

How much is Paul Cadmus worth?

Comparable public auction sales are the best starting point, but final value depends on the specific artwork, condition, size, medium, provenance, and attribution confidence.

Can Appraisily value my Paul Cadmus artwork?

Yes. Appraisily can review photos, dimensions, signatures, condition, provenance, and comparable market data to prepare a current valuation.