Photo: Patrick Gruban / CC BY-SA 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Paul McCarthy is the kind of artist I find genuinely unsettling, and I mean that as praise. His monumental, grotesque sculptures, the notorious Tree and his deranged Santa, weaponize childhood iconography to expose the rot in consumer culture. He isn't trying to be liked, and that fearlessness is rare. Working across painting, sculpture, video, and installation from Los Angeles, he's stayed provocative for decades without softening. Plenty of people will dismiss the work as juvenile or gross, but I think the discomfort is the point. Artists willing to provoke this relentlessly keep the whole field honest, and I'm drawn to him.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Paul McCarthy
- Name (Japanese)
- ポール・マッカーシー
- Reading
- ぽーる・まっかーしー
- Born
- August 4, 1945 (age 80)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Leo / Rooster
- Origin
- Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- painter / sculptor / illustrator / video artist / installation artist
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- University of Utah
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | Tree | — | |
| Notable work | Santa Claus | — |
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Paul McCarthy born?
Born August 4, 1945 (age 80).
Where is Paul McCarthy from?
Paul McCarthy is from Salt Lake City, Utah, United States.
What does Paul McCarthy do?
Paul McCarthy works as painter, sculptor, illustrator, video artist, installation artist.
What is Paul McCarthy known for?
Notable works include Tree, Santa Claus.
Painter — see all → · Sculptor — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-21
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.