The Cigarette in Canadian Art

One of the earliest depictions of a cigarette in Canadian painting, Dyonnet’s academic work shows a woman in a contemplative pose, cigarette in hand. Born in France but active in Montreal, Dyonnet was a respected portraitist and teacher. The painting was gifted to the National Gallery in 1965 [citation:2].

📍 Where to see it: National Gallery of Canada, 380 Sussex Drive, Ottawa. Free admission for Indigenous Peoples, annual passholders, and visitors under 25.

After the death of his chain-smoking mentor Alexey Brodovitch, Penn began collecting discarded cigarette butts from the streets of New York and photographing them with exquisite precision. He was both disgusted by them and drawn to them – he made them beautiful [citation:4].

Penn’s influence continues today. Vancouver photographer Michelle Huisman’s 2026 exhibition “Vapes & Butts” directly references Penn’s work, adding colour to highlight the bright, designed disposability of modern vapes [citation:4].

Luanne Martineau (b. 1970, Saskatoon) creates hybrid sculptures that blend craft traditions with dark humour. “Smoker” is a limp, rag-doll-like figure made of raw wool, with a fat cigarette protruding from what must be its mouth. Lay out on a shelf, the figure conjures an autopsy room – yet it is soft, tactile, and inviting [citation:8].

Another Martineau work, “Lubber” (2003), continues her exploration of bodies, consumption, and desire – themes that frequently connect to smoking as both a physical habit and a psychological tic.

📍 Where to see it: TrepanierBaer Gallery, Calgary (collection rotations). Martineau now lives and works in Victoria, BC.

Liz Magor, one of Canada’s most respected contemporary sculptors, transforms BC driftwood into meticulously carved depictions of filtered cigarettes [citation:5]. The work explores interdependencies between human beings and things – from mundane objects to more irresistible “vices.”

A curious vanitas sculpture, “The Rules” toys with themes from desire to satisfaction to revulsion as it evokes connections to consumption, waste, and natural resources. The cigarettes are not real – they are carved wood, a commentary on fakery and illusion.

Tarralik Duffy dreams of a world where Inuktitut is the default language. In her exhibition at the Art Gallery of Ontario (June 2023–February 2025), she depicts products that were for sale during her childhood in Nunavut – including cigarettes, China Lily Soya Sauce, Crosby’s Molasses, and Pepsi Cola [citation:1].

Duffy’s work is both nostalgic and humorous, transforming everyday consumer products – including cigarette packs – into icons of contemporary Inuit culture [citation:1]. She is the 2021 recipient of the Kenojuak Ashevak Memorial Award.

Marcy Friesen, a Saskatchewan-based bead artist, creates beaded cigarettes as objects of memory, ritual, and healing. Her exhibition “Shoot the Breeze” (Oct 2025–Jan 2026) includes photographs of walleye holding beaded cigarettes – the cigarette belonged to her late father [citation:9].

The exhibition also features beaded Player’s cigarette packs and Bebsi cans, playfully inviting viewers to “Drink It and Smoke It.” For Friesen, beading cigarettes has become meditative – she quit smoking nearly three decades ago, and now uses the cigarette as a metaphor for time, breath, and resilience [citation:9].

Vancouver photographer Michelle Huisman’s current exhibition features 22 artist-proof prints of discarded vapes and cigarette butts, collected from the streets of Vancouver – many found near an alternative high school [citation:4].

Huisman’s images are printed using a complex four-negative process that takes five days per image. Partial proceeds from sales go to the Canadian Cancer Society. Her work raises awareness about environmental impact: an estimated 4.5 trillion cigarette butts are tossed every year, and in Vancouver alone, hundreds of thousands per day [citation:4].