Details
Guston’s hooded, cigar-smoking figure appears in many of the paintings he made later in his career. It feels both dark and playful. For many years, Guston painted in an Abstract Expressionist style, but this painting, Cigar, shows a big change in how he worked. Still, the bold and expressive brushstrokes remind us of his earlier paintings. Although the figure looks simple, it holds deep meaning. It reflects and criticizes the Ku Klux Klan members Guston saw while growing up in Southern California. By making the figure look foolish, he takes away some of their power.
View Cigar in SLOMA’s McMeen Gallery Spotlight. Courtesy of Art Bridges.
About the Artist
For over 50 years, artist Philip Guston restlessly made paintings and drawings that captured the anxious and turbulent world he was witnessing. Guston was a complex artist who took inspiration from the nightmarish world around him to create new and surprising imagery.
Born in Canada to a Jewish immigrant family, he grew up in the US and eventually became one of the most celebrated abstract painters of the 1950s and 1960s, alongside Mark Rothko and his childhood friend Jackson Pollock.
His early work included murals and paintings addressing racism in America and wars abroad. During the social and political upheavals of the late 1960s, Guston grew critical of abstraction, and began producing large-scale paintings that feature comic-like figures, some in white hoods representing evil and the everyday perpetrators of racism. Paintings like Cigar, and those that followed, established Guston as one of the most influential painters of the late 20th century.
Educator Resources
Are you exploring art in your classroom? Here are some free resources!
- A Powerpoint presentation introducing Guston’s art and life. The presentation incorporates Visual Thinking Strategies and questions for student workgroups.
- Teacher’ Guides exploring our current and recent Gray Wing exhibitions are available for FREE! Download the PDFs on the respective exhibition pages.
- Schedule a FREE gallery tour for your class. Transportation subsidies are available upon request.
Media
Learn more about Cigar in our media mentions. #SLOMAinthenews
Philip Guston Painting Sparks Dialogue in a Local Museum. Hyperallergic, John Seed. Sept 30, 2025.
This spotlight exhibition is generously presented by
