The quintessentially Californian artist Ed Moses deemed himself "a mutator." The moniker was intended to describe his ever-evolving style, but it also captures something of the semi-psychedelic spirit Moses brought to his energetic, boldly colorful paintings for decades, until his death in 2018.
Moses was born in Long Beach, California, in 1926, and studied at the University of California, Los Angeles, before emerging as one of the most influential artists in the postwar West Coast art scene, which winked at its New York counterpart with a rascally sense of wit and fun.
Moses showed with Los Angeles's legendary Ferus Gallery, founded by Walter Hopps and Ed Kienholz, and known for showing "Cool School" artists Larry Bell, Billy Al Bengston, Ed Ruscha, and Ken Price, among others.
