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 (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 (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 (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 (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
$27,609Sale Price|20% Off
H 41 in W 41 in D 1.75 in
Painting of New York City Street after Rain with Figures, Cars by British Artist
By Angela Wakefield
Located in Preston, GB
Original Painting of a Contemporary New York City Scene after the Rain, with Cars and Figures, by British Urban Landscape Artist, Angela Wakefield. This is a major work to continue h...
Gesso, Acrylic, Oil, Mixed Media, Cotton Canvas, Paint, Linen, Canvas
$1,374
H 23.63 in W 23.63 in D 2.37 in
Cornish Beach, Original Painting, Coastal art, Beach, Seaside, Summer
Located in Deddington, GB
Cornish Beach was painted in North Cornwall and is based on coastal locations such as Daymer Bay, Polzeath and Padstow. It looks beautiful in a home with bright uplifting colours and...
Canvas, Oil
$1,016
H 24.02 in W 18.12 in D 0.79 in
French School PS 240 Summer in La Baule Van Gogh - Chut les Barbizons!
Located in Zofingen, AG
Ps 240 Summer in La Baule Vincent Van Gogh In this luminous and poetic work, it's a powerful layer of meaning through the woman’s swimsuit, which echoes Vincent van Gogh’s Starry Ni...
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic, Stretcher Bars
View of Rome - Oil Paint by Pino Romanò - 2000
Located in Roma, IT
Oil on canvas realized by Pino Romanò (1934) in 2000. Hand signed. Titled on rear. Very good condition.
Canvas, Oil
$15,875Sale Price|42% Off
H 30 in W 36 in D 1.75 in
Painting of Broadway New York City Street Scene after the Rain by British Artist
By Angela Wakefield
Located in Preston, GB
Original Painting of a Contemporary Broadway New York City Street Scene after the Rain by British Urban Landscape Artist, Angela Wakefield. This is a major work to continue her epic ...
Gesso, Canvas, Linen, Paint, Cotton Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic
$7,058
H 35.04 in W 57.09 in D 1.97 in
Alien invasion Stéphane Fauchille Contemporary art painting colour humour
By Stéphane Fauchille
Located in Paris, FR
Oil paint on canvas Unique work Hand-signed by the artist Stéphane Fauchille, dream anthropologist “Would you, for a moment, like to become the Claude Lévi-Strauss of the aborigin...
Canvas, Oil
$1,380Sale Price|20% Off
H 10.5 in W 10.5 in D 1.75 in
Miniature Painting of Victoria Embankment London & Houses of Parliament in Rain
By Angela Wakefield
Located in Preston, GB
Miniature Painting of Victoria Embankment London & Houses of Parliament, Westminster in the Rain - a unique original from leading Contemporary Cityscape Artist, Angela Wakefield. Par...
Gesso, Canvas, Paint, Cotton Canvas, Oil, Acrylic, Board
$11,365
H 76.78 in W 51.19 in D 1.97 in
The republican picnic Stéphane Fauchille Contemporary art painting colour humour
By Stéphane Fauchille
Located in Paris, FR
Oil paint on canvas Unique work Hand-signed by the artist Stéphane Fauchille, dream anthropologist “Would you, for a moment, like to become the Claude Lévi-Strauss of the aborigin...
Canvas, Oil
$717
H 12.6 in W 15.56 in D 1.58 in
Mediterranean Seascape Figurative Painting Nude Riding White Bull Ocean Scene
By Sula Repani
Located in FISTERRA, ES
Mediterranean seascape figurative oil painting depicting a nude figure riding a white bull across shifting turquoise waters, with subtle secondary figures emerging within the scene. ...
Canvas, Oil
$2,823Sale Price|31% Off
H 23 in W 29 in D 1.75 in
Black & White Painting of People in Sunshine on London Bridge with Tower Bridge
By Angela Wakefield
Located in Preston, GB
Black & White Painting of People in the Sunshine on London Bridge with Tower Bridge in the background. A unique original from leading British Cityscape Artist, Angela Wakefield. Part...
Gesso, Canvas, Paint, Cotton Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
$478
H 16.15 in W 13 in D 0.67 in
Contemporary impressionist art brut oil painting of sea and birds on canvas
Located in VÉNISSIEUX, FR
This contemporary impressionist piece, with a touch of Art Brut and Naïve art, "Bird Sitting on the Beach Umbrella," created by French artist Natalya Mougenot, celebrates her deep lo...
Canvas, Oil
$3,200
H 29.5 in W 36.5 in
"Time Machine", Hyperrealistic, Motorcycle and Graffiti Figurative Oil Painting
By Katherine Fraser
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This figurative painting titled "Time Machine" is an original artwork by Katherine Fraser made of oil paint on canvas. This piece measures 29.5"h x 36.5"w framed and is shipped in the pictured frame. Katherine Fraser has been exhibited in galleries and museums throughout the United States. She is a graduate of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and of the University of Pennsylvania. As a student she received the Thomas Eakins Painting prize, the Cecelia Beaux Portrait prize, and the William Emlen Cresson Memorial Travel Award, among others. Since graduating in 2002, she has received awards including the Lucy...
Canvas, Oil