# Paul McCarthy artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/paul-mccarthy/
Profile generated: 2026-05-23T07:07:05.877Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1945-08-04
- Nationality: American
- Movements: Contemporary Art, Performance Art, Body Art
- Common media: Performance, Installation, Sculpture, Video

## About Paul McCarthy

Paul McCarthy (born 1945, Salt Lake City, Utah) is an American contemporary artist based in Los Angeles recognized internationally for his provocative performances, large-scale installations, sculptures, and video works. Active since the late 1960s, McCarthy has built a practice that interrogates American popular culture, consumerism, and media imagery through visceral, often transgressive tableaux that draw on childhood iconography and fairy-tale narratives. His work spans performance art, body art, and multimedia installation, and he is widely regarded as one of the most influential West Coast conceptual artists of his generation. McCarthy's pieces are held in the permanent collections of major institutions including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Tate in London, and the Centre Pompidou in Paris.

## Common works and media

Collectors and appraisers most frequently encounter Paul McCarthy's work in the form of silicone and fiberglass sculptures, editioned multiples and prints, video and film works, drawings on paper, large-scale inflatable sculptures, and mixed-media installations. His work often references reinterpreted Disney characters, Pinocchio, Santa Claus, and other figures from fairy tales and American consumer culture. Sculptural works in resin, silicone, and bronze appear at auction alongside limited-edition photographs and screenprints.

## Market and appraisal context

Paul McCarthy's work appears regularly at major auction houses in categories spanning contemporary art, post-war art, and editions. Collectors encounter a wide range of formats: unique sculptures and installations, editioned multiples, photographs, drawings, and video works. Valuation depends heavily on medium, scale, edition size, provenance, exhibition history, and date of execution. Large-scale sculptural and installation pieces command different market levels than editioned prints or early video works. Provenance tied to recognized galleries or museum exhibitions is a significant factor. As with many contemporary artists working across multiple media, auction results can vary considerably by work type.

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine identity research from museum, library authority, and public catalog sources with auction records, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots when those records are available. For Paul McCarthy, this page draws on authority files from Getty ULAN, VIAF, the Library of Congress, the RKD, and museum collection records from Tate and MoMA, supplemented by public auction data.

## Sources

- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q221732
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_McCarthy
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500115653
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/96539289/
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no96002509
- The Museum of Modern Art: https://www.moma.org/artists/7637
- Tate: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/paul-mccarthy-2766
- RKD: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/131658