Paul Cadmus

Drawn during the time when Paul Cadmus produced some of his most famous -- and infamous -- paintings with satiric themes such as "Shore Leave" and "The Fleet's in," but presaging his lifelong interest in the male nude, this set of four scenes depict male figures in scenes that would be familiar to artists going back to Roman and Greek times. One scene depicts two nudes in a wrestling match, another shows several nude figures in a headlong run, a third shows two men in battle, and the fourth depicts a nude figure taming a rearing horse. No doubt inspired by Classical sculptures, this set of drawings captures the energy and dynamics of interacting male figures, but without the very fine detail that he would bring to his countless male nude drawings in the 1950s, 60s and later. The drawings are signed, and the reverse retains an owner's label indicating the drawing was in the collection of William Tregoning, a gallerist who amassed a large collection of male figural art...

Although there is no evidence that Paul Cadmus knew Robert F. Kennedy, this portrait of a handsome, youthful man with blue eyes and a thick head of hair suggests that the artist admi...