CORNELIUS MCCARTHY
BRITISH, 1935–2009
"Afternoon with G." 1994. Gouache on artist board. Offered in AFTER DARK on 28 August 2025.
NOTE: The following article is NSFW and includes images of artistic nudity.
Cornelius McCarthy (1935-2009) was born in 1935 in East London, to a working-class family of mixed Irish Catholic and Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry. McCarthy was raised within the Catholic Church and drew great inspiration from the works of the Italian Old Masters, such as Raphael and Michelangelo. He began his art education at a young age, attending classes both in school and at charitable institutions like Toynbee Hall.[1] In 1950, McCarthy was able to attend Goldsmiths College of Art at the University of London via scholarship. Here he continued his study under the tutelage of Samuel Rabin, an artist and teacher known for his dynamic paintings of boxers and wrestlers.[2] After his studies at Goldsmiths College, McCarthy would be conscripted under the National Service Act, serving for two years until his demobilization. He would then return to his home in historic Stepney, where he met his partner Alec Ayres.
Cornelius McCarthy. Gouache on paper. 1984. Offered in AFTER DARK on 11 December 2025.
Throughout the 1960s, McCarthy’s artistic career would begin in earnest, and he was a regular exhibiting artist at the now-famous Whitechapel Gallery. During this time, McCarthy was greatly influenced by the many artists that featured in Whitechapel’s exhibitions and retrospectives, including Pablo Picasso and, most notably, the Neo-Romantic painter Keith Vaughan. His interest in the male nude was re-invigorated by the gallery’s 1962 retrospective of Vaughan, and this influence can be seen throughout McCarthy’s work.[3] Similar to Vaughan, McCarthy placed a strong focus on light and color planes as they adhere to the male body, abstracting his figures while still maintaining a basis in academic form and anatomy.
Cornelius McCarthy. "Rites of Spring." Pastel on paper. Offered in AFTER DARK on 23 April 2026.
McCarthy would also continue to take inspiration from Catholic art and architecture. He would go on to study in Italy, taking the traditional Grand tour route, and travelled frequently to Spain and the Americas. While McCarthy’s rendering and painting style were distinctly modern, there is also a clear Renaissance influence present in the composition of his paintings, particularly his ensemble scenes.
Cornelius McCarthy. Gouache on paper. 1994. Offered in AFTER DARK on 6 November 2025.
Towards the latter half of his career, McCarthy would begin exhibiting at Adonis Art Gallery, who would continue to represent him after his death in 2009. Through the efforts of his partner Alec Ayres and close friend Peter Dobson, McCarthy’s paintings would receive great recognition as part of the East End’s historic art scene, and McCarthy himself would become a canonical figure in the history of British homoerotic art.[4] McCarthy’s work is now held in museums, archives, and private collections around the world, including the Leslie Lohman Museum, Adonis Art International, and the Tower Hamlets Local History Library and Archives.
Notes
[1] Dobson, Peter, and Stan Lloyd. “Records Relating to Artist Cornelius McCarthy; Admin History.” Tower Hamlets Local History Library and Archives. Accessed April 9, 2026. https://www.thcatalogue.org.uk/calmview/Record.aspx?src=CalmView.Catalog&id=P%2FMCC.
[2] Sheeran, John. "Rabin, Samuel [Sam] [formerly Samuel Rabinovitch] (1903–1991), artist and art teacher." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. 23 Sep. 2004.
[3] Dobson, Peter. Cornelius McCarthy: Paintings. London: Adonis Art, 2007.
[4] Dobson, Peter and Stan Lloyd. “Records Relating to Artist Cornelius McCarthy; Admin History.”
Contributors
Alex Burgamy
AFTER DARK Specialist, LGBTQ+ Fine Art
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