100 Canadian Visual Artists
100 Canadian Visual Artists Who Have Shaped Canada’s Cultural Landscape
Canada’s visual arts history is as vast and varied as the country itself. From the rugged landscapes of the early painters to today’s multidisciplinary artists working across painting, photography, sculpture, installation, and digital media, Canadian artists have helped define how we see ourselves and how the world sees Canada.
This list celebrates 100 influential Canadian visual artists whose work has contributed to the nation’s cultural identity. Some are household names, others are trailblazers whose impact continues to grow. Together, they tell the story of Canadian art.
The Red We Carry, c. 2026 Acrylic On Canvas 30 x 30 x 1.5 in – Brandy Saturley
Historical Masters & Early Influencers
- Paul Kane
- Cornelius Krieghoff
- Emily Carr
- Tom Thomson
- Lawren Harris
- A.Y. Jackson
- J.E.H. MacDonald
- Franklin Carmichael
- Arthur Lismer
- Frederick Varley
- David Milne
- Prudence Heward
- Edwin Holgate
- Jean Paul Lemieux
- Clarence Gagnon
- Marc-Aurèle Fortin
- Anne Savage
- Paraskeva Clark
- Kathleen Munn
- Bertram Brooker
Mid-Century Innovators
- Jack Bush
- Painters Eleven founder Oscar Cahén
- Harold Town
- William Ronald
- Kazuo Nakamura
- Jock Macdonald
- Alex Colville
- Christopher Pratt
- Mary Pratt
- Joyce Wieland
- Michael Snow
- Greg Curnoe
- Guido Molinari
- Jean McEwen
- Rita Letendre
- Gordon Smith
- Takao Tanabe
- Jack Shadbolt
- E.J. Hughes
- William Kurelek
Let Your Backbone Rise, c. 2016 Acrylic on canvas 36 x 36 x 1.5 in – Brandy Saturley
Indigenous Artists Who Changed Canadian Art
- Norval Morrisseau
- Daphne Odjig
- Carl Beam
- Alex Janvier
- Bill Reid
- Robert Davidson
- Rande Cook
- Kent Monkman
- Rebecca Belmore
- Brian Jungen
- Christi Belcourt
- Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun
- Beau Dick
- Annie Pootoogook
- Kenojuak Ashevak
- Tim Pitsiulak
- Shuvinai Ashoona
- Kananginak Pootoogook
- Nadia Myre
- Meryl McMaster
100 Canadian Visual Artists – Contemporary Masters
Contemporary Canadian Painters
- David Bierk
- Ken Danby
- Christopher Broadhurst
- Robert Bateman
- Kim Dorland
- Wanda Koop
- Steve Driscoll
- Peter Doig
- Tim Gardner
- Attila Richard Lukacs
- John Hartman
- Edward Burtynsky
- Charles Pachter
- Douglas Coupland
- Joanne Tod
- Shary Boyle
- David Blackwood
- William Perehudoff
- Robert Houle
- Sandra Meigs
Hearts On Our Sleeves, 2017 Acrylic On Canvas 40 x 30 x 1.5 in – Brandy Saturley
Contemporary Artists Expanding the Conversation
- Stan Douglas
- Rodney Graham
- Jeff Wall
- Ian Wallace
- Geoffrey Farmer
- Janet Cardiff
- George Bures Miller
- Vikky Alexander
- Gathie Falk
- Jin-me Yoon
- Ken Lum
- Liz Magor
- Liz Howard
- Sameer Farooq
- Deanna Bowen
- Kapwani Kiwanga
- Rajni Perera
- Vanessa Dion Fletcher
- Marcel Dzama
- Brandy Saturley
Dochka Rising, c. 2023 acrylic and gouache 36 x 30 x 1.5 in – Brandy Saturley
A Continuing Story
No list of Canadian artists can ever be complete. The story of Canadian art is still being written in studios, galleries, artist-run centres, and communities across the country. New voices continue to emerge, challenging conventions and expanding our understanding of what Canadian art can be.
What unites the artists on this list is their contribution to Canada’s visual culture. Through landscape, portraiture, abstraction, photography, sculpture, conceptual art, and contemporary practice, they have each helped shape the evolving narrative of Canada.
Who would you add to this list? The conversation about Canadian art is ongoing, and that’s exactly what keeps it vibrant.
