Based in New York, painter Cobi Moules creates work that engages with queer and transgender identity, relationships, pop culture and the complexities of family. Moules’s self-portraits, both realistic and imagined, express a signature style consisting of multiple copies of himself, often painted over 19th-century American landscapes. Moules chooses these locations intentionally for their connections to “America’s first true artistic fraternity” — the Hudson River School.
Moules was born in 1980 in Oakdale, California, and his early memories include painting on his grandmother’s porch, struggling with the process and his mistakes. Despite his frustration, Moules found himself returning to art again and again.
In 2004, Moules graduated from San Jose State University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, and in 2010, he received a Master of Fine Arts from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University. Moules was an artist-in-residence at six different organizations, earning fellowships from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in 2008 and the Joan Mitchell MFA Grant in 2010. After graduation, Moules earned the Vermont Studio Center Fellowship and the Ruth and Harold Chenven Foundation Grant.
Two of his projects are named after modified lyrics from a famous Cyndi Lauper song: "Bois Just Want To Have Fun" and "That’s All They Really Want." They vibrantly examine the visual renegotiation of personal image.
Moules’s work has been exhibited widely across the United States, including at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, the Jepson Center in Georgia, the Ogunquit Museum of American Art in Maine and Smack Mellon in New York. The Leslie Lohman Museum, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, the RISD Museum and the 21c Museum have all acquired his work.
Moules’s work, which challenges the conventions of American art and its landscape painting traditions, continues to capture the attention of critics and collectors.
On 1stDibs, find a collection of Cobi Moules paintings.
Untitled (Ausable River 1) - Contemporary figurative landscape oil painting
By Cobi Moules
Located in East Quogue, NY
Figurative hyperreal landscape oil painting, "(Untitled (Ausable River 1))," by Cobi Moules. Oil on canvas. 8 x 6 inches. Offered unframed. Driven by the desire for adventure and di...
Canvas, Oil
Untitled (Ausable River 2) - Contemporary figurative landscape oil painting
By Cobi Moules
Located in East Quogue, NY
Figurative hyperreal landscape oil painting, "(Untitled (Ausable River 2)," by Cobi Moules. Oil on canvas. 8 x 10 inches. Offered unframed. Driven by the desire for adventure and di...
Canvas, Oil
Untitled (Adirondacks) - Figurative landscape painting
By Cobi Moules
Located in East Quogue, NY
Landscape painting by Cobi Moules - Oil on canvas Driven by the desire for adventure and discovery, Cobi Moules embraces the beauty of nature all the while shifting its weight throu...
Canvas, Oil
Untitled (Salt Marsh Herring Cove)
By Cobi Moules
Located in East Quogue, NY
Landscape painting titled "Untitled (Salt Marsh Herring Cove)" by Cobi Moules - Oil on canvas Driven by the desire for adventure and discovery, Cobi Moules embraces the beauty of nature all the while shifting its weight through the exaltation of his own existence within, and as part, of it. This is best exemplified by the way he incorporates multiple self-portraits throughout his compositions. The multiplicity of self takes both precedence over, as well as integration into, the landscape creating a world with a sense of excitement, self-worth and play. The locations of Moules’ compositions are equally important. All of the locations were previously depicted in paintings by the Hudson River School. Through the exploration of the grand American landscape and the reflection on mid-19th century American...
Canvas, Oil
Untitled (Island in the Sky) - Figurative landscape oil painting
By Cobi Moules
Located in East Quogue, NY
Landscape oil painting, "(Island in the Sky)," by Cobi Moules Oil on canvas. 8 x 10 inches Driven by the desire for adventure and discovery, Cobi Moules embraces the beauty of natu...
Canvas, Oil
Untitled (Mountain view of Schroon Lake) - Figurative landscape oil painting
By Cobi Moules
Located in East Quogue, NY
Landscape oil painting, "(Mountain view of Schroon Lake)," by Cobi Moules - Oil on canvas Driven by the desire for adventure and discovery, Cobi Moules embraces the beauty of nature...
Canvas, Oil
Untitled (Ship Harbor)
By Cobi Moules
Located in East Quogue, NY
Winter landscape painting by Cobi Moules - Oil on canvas Exhibition History: "New England Now: People," Shelburne Museum, Vermont (June 26 - October 17, 2021) Driven by the desire for adventure and discovery, Cobi Moules embraces the beauty of nature all the while shifting its weight through the exaltation of his own existence within, and as part, of it. This is best exemplified by the way he incorporates multiple self-portraits throughout his compositions. The multiplicity of self takes both precedence over, as well as integration into, the landscape creating a world with a sense of excitement, self-worth and play. The locations of Moules’ compositions are equally important. All of the locations were previously depicted in paintings by the Hudson River School. Through the exploration of the grand American landscape and the reflection on mid-19th century American landscape painting, Moules navigates the parallels between the Hudson River School and the religious ideology that was an integral part of his formative years. Shared throughout both is the elevation of purity, virginity and the honor of sacrificing one’s selfhood for the glory of God. As the Hudson River School artists’ work embodies the overpowering force of God made manifest through nature, so do the religious voices of Moules’ past against the validation of his existence. Moules states, “As a queer and trans person, I seek to renegotiate my relationship with this upbringing and the act of being told I am ‘unnatural’ through such a Christian lens. I utilize traditional representation as a way of seeking inclusion while disrupting the original narrative. Creating a space for personal significance and a queer and trans presence, the importance becomes the experience of my multiple and overall presence. It is a community of me playing, exploring my selves, exploring nature and being part of it.” Landscape, nature, figurative painting, self portrait, portrait, seascape, coastline, seashore, Hudson River School, contemporary art, Ship Harbor...
Canvas, Oil
$35,675Sale Price|25% Off
H 41 in W 53 in D 1.75 in
Large Painting of Classic New York City in Rain with Figures by British Artist
By Angela Wakefield
Located in Preston, GB
Large Original Painting of a Classic 1990's Busy New York City Scene in the Rain, with Yellow Taxis, Cars and Figures, by British Urban Landscape Artist, Angela Wakefield. This is a ...
Gesso, Acrylic, Oil, Mixed Media, Cotton Canvas, Paint, Linen, Canvas
Mother Stream
By Danielle Winger
Located in Bozeman, MT
"In my paintings I take on the role of poet-painter, creating sentimental and idealized landscapes that are devoid of any figures or formal devices traditionally used to tell a story...
Canvas, Oil
$1,898Sale Price|20% Off
H 31.89 in W 39.38 in
"Clarges Street London Oil on Canvas Painting, Contemporary, 1970s"
Located in Sitges, Barcelona
Antoni Vives Fierro (1940) - London - Oil on canvas Oil measures 81x100 cm. Frameless. He was born in Barcelona in 1940. He is a versatile painter specialized in urban landscape and...
Canvas, Oil
$24,698Sale Price|28% Off
H 52 in W 40 in D 1.5 in
New York City NYC Street Sunshine Landscape Painting by British Cityscape Artist
By Angela Wakefield
Located in Preston, GB
New York Sunshine Golden Glow Cityscape Painting by British Urban Landscape Artist Angela Wakefield. This original is part of the New York Series, a ...
Canvas, Linen, Paint, Cotton Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic
$1,372Sale Price|20% Off
H 10.5 in W 10.5 in D 1.75 in
Miniature Painting of Radio City New York with Night Traffic by British Artist
By Angela Wakefield
Located in Preston, GB
Miniature Painting of Radio City New York with Night Traffic - a unique original from leading Contemporary Artist, Angela Wakefield. Part of the New York Collection. Art measures 6...
Gesso, Canvas, Paint, Cotton Canvas, Oil, Acrylic, Board
$6,792
H 21 in W 25 in D 2 in
Deansgate Locks Manchester City Street Scene England at Night by British Artist
By Angela Wakefield
Located in Preston, GB
Deansgate Locks Manchester City Street Scene England at Night by British Artist by British Cityscape Artist Angela Wakefield. It captures the changing nature of Manchester, both the ...
Gesso, Canvas, Paint, Cotton Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
$1,608Sale Price|30% Off
H 21 in W 17 in D 3 in
Serenity over the Bridge - Lake Scene with Lush Green Trees by British Artist
Located in Preston, GB
Serenity over the Bridge - Lake Scene with Lush Green Trees. Vintage Oil Painting by British Artist, David James. Art measures 12 x 16 inches Frame measures 17 x 21 inches The p...
Canvas, Oil
Moonlit Valley
Located in San Francisco, CA
Alejandro Rubio Moonlit Valley, 2022 Acrylic on canvas 60 x 48 inches This one-of-a-kind oil painting on canvas is stretched across wooden stretcher bars.
Canvas, Oil
$11,388
H 44.89 in W 127.56 in
Myrdal, Norway by Calo Carratalá - Winter mountain landscape, snowy weather
By Calo Carratalá
Located in Paris, FR
Myrdal, Norway is a unique oil on canvas painting by Spanish contemporary artist Calo Carratalá, dimensions are 114 × 324 cm (44.9 × 127.6 in). The artwork is signed, sold unframed a...
Canvas, Oil
$1,608Sale Price|30% Off
H 21 in W 17 in D 3 in
Whispers of the Falls - River Lake Waterfall with Lush Trees by British Artist
Located in Preston, GB
Whispers of the Falls - River Lake Waterfall with Lush Trees & Mountains in the distance. Vintage Oil Painting by British Artist, David James. Dramatic skies and beautiful reflec...
Canvas, Oil
$44,594
H 76.78 in W 51.19 in
Ulster Bank by Hugues Pissarro dit Pomié, 1992 - Oil on Canvas Painting
Located in London, GB
Ulster Bank by Hugues Pissarro dit Pomié (B. 1935) Oil on canvas 195 x 130 cm (76 ³/₄ x 51 ¹/₈ inches) Signed on the reverse Executed in 1992 This work is accompanied by a certifica...
Canvas, Oil
$7,150
H 25.5 in W 25.5 in D 1 in
"Family” Oil Painting 25.5" x 25.5" inch by Katherine Bakhoum Tisné
By Katherine Bakhoum-Tisné
Located in Culver City, CA
"Family” Oil Painting 25.5" x 25.5" inch by Katherine Bakhoum Tisné Katherine Bakhoum represents art that has been forgotten for a long while. She draws upon the concept and the sub...
Canvas, Oil