CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS

Paul McCarthy

b. 1945

Paul McCarthy is recognized for his provocative, some would say tasteless, performances, multi-media installations, and sculptures that irreverently fuse high and low culture in their biting but humorous critique of American mythology and accepted societal norms.

Santa Claus porn videos, Hummel figurine parodies, and chocolate butt plugs are among McCarthy’s most well known pieces. For Train, Mechanical, he created a pair of larger-than-life animated sculptures of Bush mounting pigs from behind. McCarthy’s work is interested interested in caricatures that are cultural fabrications.