Hockney packs a punch for smokers

He is a passionate advocate of smoking and freedom of choice. Now artist David Hockney has linked his two obsessions in a remarkable new artwork based on cigarette packets.

In the playful piece, 74-year-old Hockney photographed the 133 different tobacco brands available in one tiny shop in Baden-Baden, Germany.

By contrast there is a choice of just 50 in one of London's most famous tobacconists, Davidoff Cigars on Jermyn Street.

Today Mr Hockney told the Standard that the work, entitled Freedom is Choice, shows exactly how "bossy boots" politicians are making our lives a bit of a misery.

He said: "Tobacconists in England look like Eastern Europe circa 1970 and Harrods is like Minsk in 1935. Cameron, Clegg and Milliband treat us all like children, I am sick and tired of them. They stand for a meanness of spirit that pervades everywhere in England.

"Pettiness, meanness, dreariness. That's all I see from them. Meanness of spirit is very bad for the health no matter how long you live. Can't they look into their own hearts and understand that many people in England are fed up with unthinking, bossy-boots politicians that believe us to be infants."

As a smoking advocate, he is in good company. Famous smokers include President Barack Obama, actress Kate Winslet and supermodel Kate Moss, who is said to have smoked four packs of Marlboro Lights a day since the age 12. But they will not be aware that a collection of 133 cigarette packets can apparently say so much about society.

In a new attack on Britain's smoking ban, introduced by the Labour government in July 2007, Mr Hockney, from Bradford, West Yorkshire, went on: "Ed Miliband and his pals in Parliament made more laws with punishments than previous governments had in 30 years."

Davidoff Cigars proprietor Eddie Sahakian, at the shop in Jermyn Street, admitted that their selection was not as wide as that of some European competitors. "The range of cigarettes available in London is getting more and more limited," he said. "We have one of the best ranges available and we stock about 50 types of cigarette, but in continental Europe there's much more variety.

"Even with Davidoff, in the UK you can only source two varieties. On the continent there are probably about eight different varieties."

However, Mr Hockney may take comfort in the knowledge that London is one of the cigar capitals of the world.

Tobacconist Sautter of Mount Street, Mayfair, which specialises in Cuban varieties, defended the capital.

Manager Johnny Berman said: "London is as good as any for cigarettes, but for Cuban cigars we and Geneva have the best selections in the world."