Cornelius McCarthy

Cornelius McCarthy (1935-2009) was among the top painters of the male form working in Britain in the second half of the twentieth century. Trained at Goldsmiths College in the 1950's, he was greatly influenced by the work of Pablo Picasso following the first great post-war exhibition in London in 1960. Later McCarthy was influenced by the British artist Keith Vaughan and many of his early works show the influence of these great artists.

But McCarthy was a deep-thinking man, and a hard-working man. Always painting, he developed his own style, a style that presented his (mainly) male subjects as individuals in their own right. His work is characterised by a solid sense of composition and the use of still-life elements that often give a 'cubist' feel to his paintings.

Since his untimely death in 2009, many early paintings and drawings have come to light that were never intended for exhibition. These have been collected into special pages on this website as his 'Legacy' works. They provide a less expensive way of acquiring an original McCarthy, as well as demonstrating his artistic development.

A fully illustrated book about McCarthy including essays on his life and work can be bought from the gallery below. This book provides an excellent introduction to the work of this leading artist - an artist whose fame would be much more widespread if his subject matter had not been largely limited to the male form in art.  Other publications are also available and can be found at the end of the page of paintings.

Thumbnail image: 'Pomegranate Boy' by Cornelius McCarthy
'Pomegranate Boy' by Cornelius McCarthy
£1750 GBP
(€2013 EUR)
($2170 USD)
Thumbnail image: 'Diana and Actaeon' by Cornelius McCarthy
'Diana and Actaeon' by Cornelius McCarthy
£2950 GBP
(€3393 EUR)
($3658 USD)
Thumbnail image: 'Sam's Blue Shorts' by Cornelius McCarthy
'Sam's Blue Shorts' by Cornelius McCarthy
£1750 GBP
(€2013 EUR)
($2170 USD)
Thumbnail image: 'Cornelius McCarthy' by Peter Dobson
'Cornelius McCarthy' by Peter Dobson
£20 GBP
(€23 EUR)
($25 USD)
Thumbnail image: 'Alfresco Picnic' by Cornelius McCarthy
'Alfresco Picnic' by Cornelius McCarthy
£1400 GBP
(€1610 EUR)
($1736 USD)
Thumbnail image: 'Cornelius McCarthy' Commemorative Catalogue
'Cornelius McCarthy' Commemorative Catalogue
£6 GBP
(€7 EUR)
($7 USD)
Thumbnail image: 'Tabernacle - Jack Dressing' by Cornelius McCarthy
'Tabernacle - Jack Dressing' by Cornelius McCarthy
£2000 GBP
(€2300 EUR)
($2480 USD)
Thumbnail image: 'The Blue Vest by Cornelius McCarthy
'The Blue Vest by Cornelius McCarthy
£2000 GBP
(€2300 EUR)
($2480 USD)
Thumbnail image: 'Johnny' by Cornelius McCarthy
'Johnny' by Cornelius McCarthy
£400 GBP
(€460 EUR)
($496 USD)
Thumbnail image: 'Grey Striped Kimono' by Cornelius McCarthy
'Grey Striped Kimono' by Cornelius McCarthy
£1400 GBP
(€1610 EUR)
($1736 USD)
Thumbnail image: 'Private Massage' by Cornelius McCarthy
'Private Massage' by Cornelius McCarthy
£400 GBP
(€460 EUR)
($496 USD)
Thumbnail image: 'Sean with Drape' by Cornelius McCarthy
'Sean with Drape' by Cornelius McCarthy
£400 GBP
(€460 EUR)
($496 USD)
Thumbnail image: 'Night Nude' by Cornelius McCarthy
'Night Nude' by Cornelius McCarthy
£1200 GBP
(€1380 EUR)
($1488 USD)
Thumbnail image: 'David with Admirer' by Cornelius McCarthy
'David with Admirer' by Cornelius McCarthy
£675 GBP
(€776 EUR)
($837 USD)
Thumbnail image: 'Seated Fenman' by Cornelius McCarthy
'Seated Fenman' by Cornelius McCarthy
£1400 GBP
(€1610 EUR)
($1736 USD)
Thumbnail image: 'EP with Nude' by Cornelius McCarthy
'EP with Nude' by Cornelius McCarthy
£750 GBP
(€863 EUR)
($930 USD)